It has been almost a week that Roland Garros 2024 opened all the courts for ATP & WTA players… I could shortly recapitulate first week of French Open as a taste of final clashes, especially when I was thinking of Zverev – Nadal and Murray – Wawrinka matches on the men side and on the lady side, Osaka and Swiatek battles… Beyond those matches, I was also so curious to Pablo Carreño Busta’s match cause he has started to play again after his injury nevertheless it was a huge deception for me therefore I decided to not watch entire of the match after second set because Busta had already gave up the match.
Yet, by this post instead of first week matches analyzes, I would like to stress the feature of clay court and its sociological stakes: slowness and being fluid.
Firstly, clay courts engender to the slowness which can be interpreted on the one hand as stay in present and as construct a bridge between past and present such as in daily life people wants to be hurry – rush and could not stand to wait neither to be slow… Why? Because people attempt to forget the past therefore “being fast” engenders to Forget the past whereas “being slow” permit to recover all the pain by negotiation between Past and Present such as that allows to feel the present by ignoring to worry about the future… only present…. Considering tennis as “being in present”, it is evident that “slowness” allows to the players to hit the ball consciously than they used to do (means beyond the reflexive shots, players have a little second to think about it in case of memorized & reflexive & interiorized shots). As racket does not only serve to hit the ball, but it also serves to cultivate – to orientate the ball. So, tennis can be considered as cultivation – creation the angles – shots via racket. “Slowness” thereby permits to exhibit angles – shots – game plans… such as “slowness” illustrates the negotiation between “past and present” to reach the objective while “fast courts” may engender to annulate it because of the stuck in unforced errors made during the game in an unsodden – unexpected moment… those stuck moments begin to comeback and that may cost a loose a match / set / game…
However, on the other side, it provokes to think more faster cause ball are not bounce well to shot it for second time. In this context, slowness serves to devour the stuck moment but at the same time to motivate to think faster otherwise it would be so difficult to manage to survive on the court.
Secondly, clay court allows to being fluid by adaptation of the inhabited situation which brings me to the door of the Jean Luc Nancy: “Désœuvrement des Habitus” such as clay court illustrates the role crucial of being suis – generis like note La to be fluid in every condition by leaning on principles rather than habitus…
Consequently, I can resume the most satisfied point of contemplating tennis match on the clay courts make me to think about the life as the manner of reach the purpose:
“It is not important being first or last… The important / the crucial thing is based on the art of achieving to the purpose as tennis illustrated by accentuating “slowness” – “adaptation – being fluid”.
wonderland 