Translation of the article Salon de recréation by Quentin Moynet in l’Équipe of July 30, 2016, page 25.
The Players’ Lounge – Toronto
The players’ lounge is a separate part of tennis players’ lives, where they’re pampered. We spent a few minutes in the one in Toronto.
‘When will Mr. Anderson’s hairdresser arrive?’ Seated behind a desk, the volunteer notes down the South African’s appointment. The notebook is full. The hairdressing service is one of the most used by the players, along with massage. All these requests are made in the Players’ Lounge, an essential part of every tournament on the professional tours. Some spend several hours a day there, others content themselves with passing through on the way to the dressing room. In Toronto, organisation members are there from 7 AM to Midnight to answer all the requests of the players, their staffs and families.
At the entrance, to giant security men only allow through those with the right letters on their accreditation. “M” for the media isn’t one of them. “You must be accompanied by an ATP member to enter and to leave,” we’re told.
Escorted by an “A” letter, we find a small Ali Baba’s cave. Several newspapers, both foreign and domestic, lie on a table. Julien Benneteau glances at them, but doesn’t appear to see anything he wants. Beside it, there’s a corner with sweets, and cupcakes decorated with Canadian flag frosting. ‘Those are dangerous,’ says a coach, smiling. ‘A bit won’t hurt,’ says the barmaid, who serves tea, energy drinks, but also alcohol.
Life in the players’ lounge is permanently accompanied by the clicking of a ping-pong ball. The table is much more popular than the pool table a few metres farther along. “Most don’t know how to play pool. They’d bury the cue tip into the felt,” murmors the ATP official who is escorting us. It’s different with a racquet. The young Canadians Félix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov and Benjamin Sigouin play matches and exchange bursts of laughter. “They never stop, they’re tireless,” whispers our escort. “You can see they’re still kids. Félix is only fifteen!” Then Nick Kyrgios arrives. The Australian grabs a racquet and imitates players. ‘Here I’m Roddick!’ From a seat in front of him, the Czech Radek Stepanek says to him, ‘why don’t you put as much intensity into it on the court? You’d have better results!’ Kyrgios stops, smiles, then continues.
Further away, some players are sitting comfortably on the large sofas at the end of the room, watching the matches on the television. In a few minutes or a few hours, the break will end and it will be their turn on the court. Perhaps with a new haircut.
Translated by MAN
Tennis Translations 