Shis voice is undeniably linked to the Parisian clay fortnight, where he accompanied and interviewed dozens of champions of the little yellow ball. Marc Maury took the time to Point to discuss his relationship with the players to tell us more behind the scenes of the Roland-Garros tournament, the first round of which starts this Sunday.
Point : There will not be Rafael Nadal this year at Roland-Garros. How do you live this absence?
Mark Maury: I’m sad, I sent a message to Toni [son oncle et ex-entraîneur, NDLR], which also must be. It’s really terrible not to have him at Roland this year with us and I hope he will revive to be present here next year, but also at the Olympics. His body has to leave him alone. He was really diminished, even at 80% it was dangerous to come. It’s a sad but logical decision.
You accompanied on the microphone all his victories on Parisian clay. Do you have a moment in mind with him that stands out?
All the victories have been special and extraordinary. The finals against Federer were special moments, we lived them intensely and it was in the middle of their careers: they were still far from twenty grand slam titles. Who would have thought that “Rafa” would win 14 here? No one could guess. It was his field, but there were games where everything could have changed. I particularly remember an epic clash with John Isner in five sets. Whatever happens, he will remain the one who will have marked the history of Roland-Garros, hoping to see others of his caliber emerge.
Your first contact with Nadal did not date from Roland-Garros, but from the Monte-Carlo tournament in 2003…
He arrives almost panicked before the interview, repeating to me “Yo no hablo inglés, yo no hablo inglés! (I do not speak English) “. I replied that there was no problem, that we were going to do that with my school Spanish! I told him that in return he should help me, simplify his sentences, and it worked! We had a good relationship pretty quickly. For a few years, Nadal had trouble with languages, we exchanged in a simple way and it made him happy.
Is it easy to juggle in your head between languages and memory to reproduce the answers of the players?
I learned English quite early thanks to music. My dad didn’t like it and told me I didn’t understand the lyrics. But, with the tape recorders, listening to Led Zeppelin and The Who, with my friends we tried to rewrite what they were saying. I like this exercise of the interview, it’s a beautiful gymnastics. The players feel closer, I’ve always liked the person in front to feel comfortable having a fairly sensitive and human interview.
Last year, you were the voice of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s farewell to the world of tennis. How do we experience this kind of event?
It is necessarily apart, a top athlete who stops. I have seen some end their careers and not necessarily in the right way. When we can greet a personality, it’s quite unique and special, we try to do it well, it’s not a bad idea to say that it’s a small death for them. You need life goals for the future. But Jo had prepared his exit, and it is not given to everyone. He couldn’t take it anymore physically, but making this decision requires extraordinary courage.
READ ALSORoland-Garros: why Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will miss French tennis
Do you think some players didn’t get the tributes they deserved?
There are quite a few. The first that comes to mind is Maria Sharapova: she didn’t have any special homage. Federer’s farewell was very emotional and well done, but it was during an exhibition. Going to the firmament, in official competition, we very rarely see that. Otherwise, recently, I enjoyed Juan Martin del Petro’s goodbye, with lots of chills there too.
How have you experienced the arrival of night sessions over the past two years? Is this a new job for you?
It shakes up the programming, that’s for sure! Before, we looked at the sky, we pushed until 9:30 p.m. at the most, but the roof changes a lot of things. Last year, I had to go to bed at 4 am! It changes the way of seeing the tournament, the players apprehend because it’s another way of playing for them, with balls that bounce differently. For its part, the public liked it, even if we put plaids because the cold was there. This year, we’re even going to have some new things with a group of singers who will do quizzes before the matches.
Do you remember a particular emotion for a French player at Roland-Garros?
Gaël Monfils played some extraordinary matches here, but when Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Federer to reach his first semi-final, the public was totally on their feet to accompany him. The defeat against Ferrer remains very frustrating. Jo has been the most consistent and consistent of them all. We had guys who approached the Grail, but the new musketeers fell into a generation of fabulous players. It’s monumental what we experienced between Nadal, Federer and Djokovic. For the girls, I would have liked us to highlight Mary Pierce even more.
French Open history: 2013, Jo Wilfried Tsonga defeats Roger Federer in straights at RG.
Federer’s season wasn’t that bad at that point, beating Tsonga himself in Australia in a 5 set epic.
Tsonga would lose to Ferrer in the semis.
No highlights of this on YT, but here’s the MP pic.twitter.com/W314orubaO
— Tennis World (Mike) (@secondserves) May 25, 2021
Do you have confidence in the future of French tennis, which has been faltering for a few years?
The coming generation is taking a long time to mature. Recently, we had seven players who made finals or won grand slam titles among juniors. But it takes longer than an Alcaraz, for example. In two years, we will have one that will be top 5, I’m taking bets!
You interviewed young players who were making their debut on center court. How to manage their stress?
The very good example is Holger Rune. He’s an electronic stack, they say he’s not respectful on the court, that he wants to do everything to win, but I think above all that he’s on full throttle all the time. In an interview, he is full of emotions, you have to reassure him. I talked to him outside alone so he could feel his best. He had some hot moments with former players, like Murray and Wawrinka, who wanted to teach him respect. In another sense, Carlos Alcaraz is very good, he quickly understood that this exercise could be important for him and the rest of his career.
We also saw players having strained relations with the public, like Daniil Medvedev. How do you handle this?
What people don’t understand abroad is that Daniil is very comfortable here, as he speaks excellent French, with a particular sense of humor. He is a very intelligent and fine boy. Like Marat Safin and Karen Khachanov, they are Russians with a Mediterranean attitude, they have an exacerbated side. Daniil feels a lot what is happening around. At the 2019 US Open, it had marked people, but he, in adversity, used it. At Roland, with his recent performances, he will be a completely different player.
Has there ever been a player that you have felt very cold, even reluctant to talk to you about?
Some are shy, like Andrey Rublev. It’s very complicated for him to give himself up. But he’s a good person, you have to find that sensitivity in him. Same for Lorenzo Sonego, who is afraid, who is worried, but who still tries to comply with the exercise. Afterwards, we had quite rare birds, like Robin Söderling. In the locker room, the other players considered him impolite because he stood aside. But, even in interviews, he gave some good answers.