paris postcard: french moves, gael monfils

one of the simple joys of being at roland garros is the opportunity to observe how players move on the terre battue.

you finally understand it demands more strength to get one's footing, and exquisite balance to glide and change direction. it brings out the natural gracefulness of players like monfils and nadal, schiavone and dolgopolov.

they--and the sun and the shadows and the burnt orange clay-- conspire toward unforgettable images (even if you can't quite capture them with a camera).

i tried, anyway, with my best zoom.

here are some of monfils, in court philippe chatrier, from one corner of the court. (first set is my favorite...)

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all photos taken on may 25, 2011.

© anita aguilar

2010 us open: practice, monsieur le monf

gael monfils.

august 26-27, 2010

all photos @ anita aguilar

the three amigos (i.e. when henry visited the us open)

as if watching a practice round between roger federer and gael monfils --gratis--on a spectacular, sunny friday afternoon wasn't enough...
theirry henry, now a "new yorker" via the red bulls, surprised his 2 friends--and a few hundred fans--with a courtside visit.

c'est super!

he's looking right at me, yes?

monfils looks like he wants to kiss him. do we blame him?

all photos © anita aguilar

court couture...

i picked up the october issue of vogue today, because of the michelle williams cover story and layout. love her style, top to toe. and i love her new 'do.

i was happy to also find a photo spread featuring a favorite tennis player of mine, monfils, photographed by none other than arthur elgort.



i actually don't love this idea--why is monfils wearing tennis garb, when she's in couture? he'd look great in slim-cut frenchy 3-piece. but he photographs nicely.

i like anna wintour about as much as i like roger federer, but i will say that her friendship with federer does have its benefits. the monfils spread represents, i believe, the 4th feature/spread in 5 months to include a top tennis player. starting with rafa in june (photographed by bruce weber)...

a classic bruce weber photo...

this is a little too gatsby for my taste

this too, but i was happy to see both...

and then in august, ana ivanovic! (bonus: article quotes mfw, and his is the big pull quote in the print edition.)

photographed by norman jean roy

and then federer in the hyped september issue, and monfils this month.

tsonga and wozniacki are bound to make it in there soon. here's hoping, anyway.

extra, extra: rafa behind the scenes video

quelle drag

monfils is no more at roland garros this year. he lost to fed in 3 sets: 7-6, 6-2, 6-4. june 3, 2009. photo via rolandgarros.com.

i don't love the outcome, but the photo is something else...

monfils le magnifique: monday night rewind

monfils at roland garros. june 1, 2009. via rolandgarros.com.

after the big win over roddick. june 1, 2009. photo by jacques demarthon/afp/getty images). via yahoo sports.

i missed this match, sadly, as well as most of the replay. i was actually hoping for a rain delay, so they might show it once again...on second thought, they may have instead shown the "upset of the century." i didn't see one minute of that nadal match, and i'd like to keep it that way. anyway, i will be listening to today's action on roland garros radio in the am, and then working from home in the afternoon, so i'll get a lot more tennis viewing in today than i have in recent days...and whether i see it live or a recording, i'll definitely look forward to monfils v. federer.

guess who i'll be rooting loudly for?

monfils le magnifique

on the list of "dream assignments" or things i'd like to do before i die: to spend some weeks photographing atp tennis players--specifically nadal and monfils--during the european clay court season.

however mercurial or frustrating his game and attitude can be to someone who roots for him, monfils is soaring inspiration for a photographer. the clay brings out the best in him and it shows in the shots...all the "flights of fancy" and falling to earth:

this was the point of the match, if not the tournament. it went something like: backhand-pirouette-belly flop-backhand-recover-rush the net-forehand volley-forehand volley winner. monfils secured the break... even melzer gave him a high-five. tho if memory serves...monfils lost the set?
may 30, 2009. photo via rolandgarros.com

monfils won in 4: 6-2, 4-6,6-4,6-1. photo via rolandgarros.com

i love this one, also taken during the melzer match, by award-winning getty photographer, ryan pierse. may 30, 2009.

more of pierse's award-winning photos here.