Between 250 and 300 spectators and participants gathered at the Tennis Club de Roquefort-la-Bédoule as the Para Tennis Tour brought its national showcase to the Bouches-du-Rhône department, drawing local players, children, and visitors from outside the club for an afternoon of inclusive sport.
The event marked the sole Bouches-du-Rhône stop on the second edition of the national tour, structured as a collaborative effort between the French Tennis Federation (FFT), the regional Ligue Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA), the Comité 13, and the local municipality, as reported by La Provence. Open sessions ran free of charge, welcoming participants of all ages and physical abilities to sample adapted equipment, multi-discipline sports discovery, and direct play.
Yannick Noah Joins Participants on the Courts
Yannick Noah, who won the French Open at Roland Garros in 1983 and now serves as the national coordinator for para tennis at the FFT, joined players to hit balls with participants and children from the host club.
“My role is to support the highest level, but also to make the discipline known, notably in rehabilitation centers,” Noah said, as reported by La Provence. “All my life, tennis has been a therapy, and for people with disabilities, it’s the same thing. Playing with kids who are discovering tennis, seeing in their eyes that kind of happiness… I look at the parents, they are even more moved.”
The tour stop featured equipment demonstrations, playful challenges, and inclusive rallies designed to remove physical barriers on court. According to Ligue PACA Tennis, the broader national circuit follows a first season that introduced more than 1,100 people with disabilities to the sport across France, setting up an expanded schedule for its second year.
Local Club Recognition and Community Investment
For the host venue, the afternoon served as confirmation of its ongoing outreach work. The Tennis Club de Roquefort-la-Bédoule (TCRB) runs an active calendar of disability-focused programs, anchored by its Provence Open—a national wheelchair tennis tournament that held its 18th all-women edition the previous month.
“A very great success, many participants and spectators with an estimation of 250 to 300 people at the club including outsiders,” said Hervé Tassaro, sports director at TCRB, as reported by La Provence. “Of great generosity, Yannick Noah made different people with disabilities and able-bodied children of the club play. Without forgetting the numerous selfies and autograph signings.”
Tassaro noted the significance of having the 1983 Grand Slam champion on site for the club’s event. “Yannick is an ambassador for para tennis, he is a legend,” Tassaro added in La Provence. “It is an immense pride that he is here for the image he projects, and we will continue to promote para tennis.”
Ligue PACA Tennis Schedules Regional Accessible Sessions
The Ligue PACA Tennis scheduling places the Roquefort-la-Bédoule stop within a larger regional framework intended to reach participants regardless of motor, visual, or hearing impairments. Sessions at the club, located at 101 Avenue du Docteur Michelangeli, welcomed players, companions, and curious spectators for structured afternoon programming running from 13:00 to 16:00 local time.
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