LET'S GET TO CAROLINE FLAISSIER, CEO OF THE FRENCH
TENNIS FEDERATION. WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS ON
THE BREAK THAT IT IS FINALLY BACK TO NORMAL.
YOU FINALLY HAVE CLAY SEASON STARTING AND DON'T HAVE
RESTRICTIONS OF COVID. WHAT HAS BEEN LIKE TO KICK OF
THE TOURNAMENT YESTERDAY AND FINALLY HAVE THE FULL FAN BASE
ABLE TO PARTICIPATE? CAROLINE: HELLO MY DANI.
THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME. IT IS JUST AMAZING HERE.
IT IS SUNNY AND PEOPLE ARE SUPER EXCITED.
BEFORE THE FIRST DAY YESTERDAY, WE HAD A FULL WEEK OF WHAT WE
CALLED OPENING WEEK, WHICH WAS THE QUALIFICATION AND ALL THE
PUBLIC THAT COULD COME AND ATTEND THE QUALIFICATION AND
THE PRACTICES ALSO OF THE PLAYERS. IT WAS JUST GREAT.
THE AMBIENCE, ATMOSPHERE WAS VERY RELAXED, AND EVERYONE WAS
SUPER EXCITED. FOR THE TEAMS, IT WAS A REALLY
GOOD RAMP UP. WE COULD TEST THINGS AND
IMPROVE ALSO THE EXPERIENCE OF ALL THE FANS COMING TO THE
STADIUMS. IS JUST A GREAT TIME. DANI: WHAT HAVE YOU CHANGED?
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO IMPROVE THE EXPERIENCE? CAROLINE:
FIRST, THEY CAN ATTEND PRACTICES.
THAT WAS JUST A SUCCESS FOR SURE.
WE HAD A LOT OF FANS COMING AND COULD SEE ALL THE BEST PLAYERS
JUST PRACTICE AND HOW DO THEY WORK WITH THEIR COACH AND SO ON.
THAT WAS GREAT. WE HAVE BEEN ALSO WORKING A LOT
ON THE FLOWS, ON SOME KIND OF ANIMATION AND DON'T KNOW HOW TO
SAVE ENGLISH BUT WE HAD PHOTO BOOTHS AROUND THE STADIUM.
YOU COULD GO UP IN THE AIR 50 METERS AND JUST LOOK AT PARIS
AND ALL THE AREA FROM THE AIR. WE HAD 11 DIFFERENT THINGS, AND
IT WAS FUN. FOR ALL PEOPLE, IT WAS QUITE
CHEAP BECAUSE IT WAS 10 EUROS, UNDER 25 EUROS AND FOR OTHER
PEOPLE IT WAS 20 EUROS. IT WAS A GREAT WAY TO HAVE OUR
STADIUM VERY INCLUSIVE AND VERY OPEN TO ALL KINDS OF PUBLIC.
DANI: I FEARED MIGHT ASKED ME TO TRANSLATE THAT AND MY FRENCH IS
APPALLING. WE ALWAYS SEE WITH EVERY SPORT
THAT SPORT IS POLITICAL. IT IS INEVITABLE.
YESTERDAY, WE HAD THE UKRAINIAN PLAYER REFUSING TO SHAKE THE
HAND OF THE BELARUS PLAYER. THAT WAS LARGELY EXPECTED IT
WOULD HAPPEN BUT SHE WAS MET IN THE CROWD WITH BOOZE.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE EPISODE? WAS IT WRONG YOU THINK FOR THE
FANS IN THE CROWD TO BLUE THE
UKRAINIAN -- BLUE =--- BOO THE UKRAINIAN PLAYER. CAROLINE:
THEY HAVE TO RESPECT THAT TOURNAMENT RULES AND THIS IS
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING AT. THE FANS ARE FANS AND IT IS ALL
ABOUT EMOTION. YOU CANNOT REALLY SAY ANYTHING
ABOUT WHAT THE FANS ARE FEELING OR HOW THEY REACT.
THAT IS YOUR EXPLANATION, BUT FOR NOW, IT IS HOW IT IS.
WE WANT THIS OPEN TO BE ALL ABOUT EMOTION AND SPORTS.
IN THE END, IT IS ABOUT EMOTION. THIS IS WHAT I CAN SAY. DANI:
ALSO, IN TERMS OF THE FAN SHIP, WE HAVE SEEN THE KING OF THE
CLAY WHO HAS BEEN ABSENT, AND A DOUBT, FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE
2005. WHO TAKES HIS PLACE AS THE NAME
RECOGNITION AGAINST PEOPLE TO WATCH AND GETS EVERYONE EXCITED
BECAUSE OF THE PEER DOMINATION ON THE CLAY COURT? CAROLINE:
I DID NOT HEAR THE QUESTION. WAS IT ABOUT RAFAEL NADAL? DANI:
YOU KNEW IT WAS COMING. YOU DIDN'T EVEN NEED ME TO ASK
IT. CAROLINE: ALL RIGHT.
WELL, FOR US, IT IS GREAT AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT WHEN THE
ANNOUNCEMENT WAS DONE, THE TEAMS ARE REALLY SAD BUT THE
TOURNAMENT IS THE TOURNAMENT. EVERYBODY IS SAYING IT IS A LOT
MORE OPEN AND YOU MIGHT WANT TO ASK -- ABOUT WHAT HE THINKS
BECAUSE IN THE END IT IS SOMETHING BUT FROM A SPORTS
POINT OF VIEW, I'M NOT EXACTLY THE RIGHT PERSON TO TALK ABOUT
THAT. DANI: FAIR ENOUGH.
IN TERMS OF THE SUCCESS OF THE SPORT, THE POPULARITY OF THE
SPORT, IS IMPORTANT THAT WE GET A GENERATIONAL SHIFT?
WHEN IT COMES TO THE MEN'S PLAY, THERE WILL BE A NEW
CHALLENGER FOR? IT'S THIS TIME AROUND, A
20-YEAR-OLD MAN SAID TO BE 37-YEAR-OLD MAN.
IN TERMS OF FAN ENGAGEMENT, IS IT IMPORTANT TO HAVE A NEW
GENERATION OF TENNIS STARS COME UP INTO THE HEADLINES? CAROLINE:
WHAT I CAN SAY THAT FROM THE FRENCH TENNIS FEDERATION, OUR
MISSION IS REALLY TO OPEN UP THE TENNIS PRACTICE.
WE WANT TO BE SUPER INCLUSIVE. THIS IS REALLY OUR KEEP MISSION.
IT IS GREAT TO HAVE A NEW
GENERATION COMING TO PLAY AND THEY COME AND IF YOU LOOK AT --
HE IS SUPER CHARISMATIC. WE LOOK AT THE FANS, THEY ARE
ALL SUPER POPULAR.
THE WAY I SEE THINGS IS THE MORE WE OPEN UP THE STADIUM,
THE MORE WE OPEN UP THE COMPETITION, IT IS JUST GOOD
FOR US BECAUSE WE WANT DIVERSITY.
WE WANT JUST ALL KINDS OF FANS TO JOIN THIS GREAT COMMUNITY OF
TENNIS. DANI:
THAT FAN BASE IS A LOT OF WOMEN TOO, AND IN TERMS OF THE
WOMEN'S PLAY, THERE HAS BEEN CRITICISM AS OF LATE.
LAST YEAR FOR THE FRENCH OPEN IT WAS ABOUT THE LACK OF
PRIMETIME SLOTS BEING GIVEN TO WOMEN.
THERE ARE 10 PRIMETIME NIGHT SESSIONS, JUST ONE FEATURED A
WOMAN. YOU HAD AN ISSUE WITH THE ITALIAN OPEN WEEKS AGO IN TERMS
OF RESCHEDULING WOMEN'S PLAY TO VERY LATE AT NIGHT.
WHAT IS BEING DONE TO ADDRESS SOME OF THESE ISSUES?
IS ENOUGH BEING DONE TO ADDRESS THIS IN TERMS OF EQUALITY FOR
TIME AND PROMINENCE OF PLAY BETWEEN THE MEN AND WOMEN'S
EVENTS? CAROLINE: TODAY, WE ARE SCHEDULING TO
MATCHES WITH WOMEN AND TWO MATCHES WITH MEN EVERY DAY.
THAT IS FOR SURE.
THE TOURNAMENT AS STARTING AND, AGAIN, THE SCHEDULING IS
PROGRAMMING IS SUPER COMPLEX. I CAN'T SAY MORE.
WHAT I CAN SAY IS FROM THE FRENCH TENNIS FEDERATION AND
WHAT WE'RE ARE DOING FOR WOMEN IS A LOT.
IT STARTS FROM THE REALLY YOUNG GIRLS UNTIL 18, AND THEN WE
WANT THE PRACTICE TO BE FOR EVERYONE, SO WE ARE WORKING ON
THIS ONE. BUT HERE, OUR SCHEDULING
PROCESS AND WE ARE WORKING A LOT WITH -- WE ARE DOING GREAT
JOB ON THAT. WHAT I CAN SAY TODAY IS IT IS
THE SECOND DAY OF THE TOURNAMENT AND TODAY IS GOING
TO BE OUR FIRST NIGHT SESSION.
WE HAVE TWO GAMES OF WOMEN INTO GAMES OF MEN PER DAY.
DANI: GAMEPLAY KICKS OFF IN 20 MINUTES.
I THINK I SHOULD LET YOU GO.