“I played on it last Saturday, but it wasn’t as pretty! » Asmir, 5 years old, points to the field with his fingertips, with a big smile on his lips. In a few minutes, he will hit the ball on a brand new court of all colors against a very special opponent: Roger Federer.
“I don’t think he realizes how lucky he is,” slips his mother, right next to him. The little boy, cotton candy in hand, just nods when asked if he has ever seen the tennis legend play, racket in hand, despite his very young age. There are around thirty young people in his case this Wednesday afternoon. All invited to the occasion of the inauguration of a new short designed by the artist Caroline Derveaux in the Louise Michel school in La Courneuve (Seine-Saint-Denis) thanks to the Fête le Mur and Uniqlo association, with therefore Roger Federer as an exceptional guest.
“I thought maybe I would never come here”
“It’s true that it’s totally improbable that he’s there,” Gilles Poux, the PC mayor of the city, tells us. We knew from the start that it was a possibility when we submitted the application as he is a Uniqlo ambassador, but now we hit the jackpot, and now it’s here! “.
In a well-organized school fair atmosphere, here is the Swiss legend who arrives in uniform, ready to do battle with the young people. “It’s a pleasure to be here. It’s true that maybe I thought I’d never come. I was thinking more of the Champs-Élysées or Versailles. But here, it’s real life, it’s much better, enthuses the 42-year-old retiree. And then, I’ve played on a lot of courts in my career, but one designed like that with so many colors… Less often. »
The brand new court is located in the courtyard of the Louise Michel nursery and elementary school in La Courneuve. Photo LP / Fred Dugit LP / Fred Dugit
On the program to start with some warm-up balls. “Whoever puts it in the net, it’s five pumps,” jokes the man with 20 Grand Slams. In the stands, the children’s voices “Federer, he’s the best” have an effect on “Roger”, who is also obliged to tap the ball to start.
“I was too stressed, I missed my four balls with him”
Tennis is still there, so is my form. “I’m still getting there, it’s not over,” he intones into the microphone after a one-handed backhand sent into a red square as announced. But when it came time to get down to business on both sides of the net, it was Federer’s first foul ball that brought some laughter from the audience. The champion is the first to laugh: “Actually, I was right to retire!” “.
On the other hand, the few young people able to win a point have the right to their moment of glory. “I was too stressed, I missed my four balls with him,” laughs Daniel, just 18 years old. It’s not every day that we play against Federer, maybe I should have tried to hit less hard! »
Roger Federer took part in the game of autographs and questions/answers on his career with the children. Photo LP / Fred Dugit LP / Fred Dugit
The “Maestro”, a regular at promotional events, will have played his part wonderfully, distilling little jokes and smiles like his drop shots on the court. Enough to deserve a standing ovation for his departure, four hours after his arrival on site. And it was not the few drops of rain that delayed the event by a full hour that disrupted it.
For its part, this court, all dressed in blue, red, and yellow, will continue its life, for the benefit of the school’s students, and open to people in the neighborhood. So that we can all say one day: I played on the same court as Roger Federer.
