Tennis: Juvignacois Antoine and Tom Duval experience being ball boys at Roland-Garros

Antoine et Tom dans les allées de Roland-Garros. AD – AD

The two brothers, residents and tennis players in Juvignac, have been participating in the famous Parisian tournament for three weeks.

When registering on the internet to become a ball boy at Roland-Garros, a few months ago, Antoine (13 years old) and Tom (15 years old) Duval imagined they would meet again next to Rafael Nadal on the center court of the legendary Parisian Grand Slam ? At least, they hoped so and their dream came true.

For three weeks, the two tennis brothers from Juvignac who have already held this position at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier have been, side by side, embarked in the same boat for a journey that they will remember for the rest of their lives. ;: "The collectors occupy two different positions, explains Antoine, a college student at Saint-Georges-d’Orques. Either we are at the baseline to collect and then distribute the balls to the players or we are at the net to collect them. When changing sides, our mission is to fill their water bottles and serve them what they need or to hold the umbrella."

"Living it together is even better"

A unique experience for young people from Hérault who are passionate about tennis: “Experiencing this together is even better,” continues Antoine. We are often on the same ground, we can debrief, tell each other anecdotes. We will remember it for a long time, that’s for sure. In addition, the atmosphere is good among the 280 tournament collectors and we meet all the biggest players."

Antoine and Tom, a high school student in Montpellier, were in the front row for the first round match between Alexander Zverev and the Spanish legend Nadal (14 victories at Roland-Garros) who may have played his last match on the Parisian clay court: "We were lucky to be there, it’s unforgettable, rejoices Antoine. Nadal is very nice off the court and he is very focused during his match."

To close this enchanted parenthesis, Antoine and Tom Duval hope to participate in the women's final, Saturday, and the men's final, Sunday. They will then be able to resume the course of their normal life in Juvignac with yellow bullets in their eyes.

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