Jean-Francois Caujolle Panoramic
While the Marseille tournament is celebrating its 30th anniversary this week, its boss delivers to the Figaro tasty anecdotes that marked this unmissable event in French tennis.
The director of the Open 13 Provence, Jean-François Caujolle, 69, is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the tournament he created this week. Of the 28 players to have occupied the place of world number 1 since 1973 (advent of the ATP ranking), half of them (14) have played at least once in the Open 13. A “small” tournament of the big circuit which has always relied on young hopefuls who will one day become giants of the game. Caujolle recalls 30 years of high-level tennis in Marseille.
1993, the first edition
“The first three days had been the race to give worthy performances to partners and players. It was very chaotic. Nothing was working. The electronic circuit was ready on Friday… of the quarter-finals. It lacked everything. I said to myself next year we will surely do better (smiles). I remember Lendl, our headliner who had arrived at 6 am to train but the Sports Palace was obviously closed. We managed to open the door for him, but…
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