The French Open Seen By Philippe Delerm

SPORTS / TENNIS : ROLAND-GARROS / "Un Autre Regard" by Philippe Delerm / The French Open Seen By Philippe Delerm

Authenticity, class, character — yes, we might be discussing Nespresso, but we might be just as easily describing the talent of Philippe Delerm, a writer with a singular ability to express his enthusiasm for the love of sport. During the Beijing Olympic Games, his track-and-field commentary for French télévision was incisive, artful, fun. In his written work, his sentences fly past with the decisive whoosh of a baseline smash, piquing our interest and stirring our imagination. Delerm is a writer who understands that sport is an endless source of allegory, as he proved beyond a doubt in The Slice of Arenberg and other Sporting Subtleties (2006). The book is a moving ode to athletes in their greatest moments of triumph and tribulation.As you might guess from the title of one of his other books — An Appreciation of Life's Small Pleasures (1999) — Philippe Delerme is someone who pays keen attention to nuances and finds joy in the margins. We're thrilled at the prospect of seeing what he can do at the Roland Garros tournament this year. He'll be there every day, patiently serving us one impression after another, like a kinder, more hedonistic version of Ivan Lendl.Look for Philippe Delerm's commentary on Nespresso's "Ultimate Events" website, beginning May 29th and continuing to the end of the Roland Garros French Open.