PARIS (AP) — Vanessa Peltier got up at dawn and traveled 500 kilometers (310 miles) to Paris from the Creuse region of central France just so she could watch Rafael Nadal practice on Tuesday.
Along with thousands of other fans, she lined up outside the main court to catch a glimpse of the Spanish champion at what’s expected to be his final appearance at the French Open, a tournament he’s won a record 14 times.
“I woke up at 6 a.m. and drove from the middle of France to be here,” said Peltier, 50. “Nadal has always had my support, and the support of France.”
The line stretched for 200 meters (yards) as fans queued up for Nadal’s second day of practice at Roland Garros. Morgan Chevallier said he waited for 45 minutes to get inside the tennis stadium.
“I could not pass on this opportunity. He is almost bigger than the tournament itself,” he said.
Receiver Tank Dell practices with Texans less than a month after being wounded in shooting
I've lived in a bus stop for seven months
Lana Del Rey Coachella performance lands organizers $28K FINE
Activists interrupt Chinese ambassador's Harvard speech — Radio Free Asia
Bridgerton fans SLAM season three's historical beauty inaccuracies
Armenia and Azerbaijan move closer to normalizing ties as the first border marker goes up
Spain approves plan to compensate victims of Catholic Church sex abuse. Church will be asked to pay
Sports betting: Caleb Williams favored to be No. 1 overall pick in NFL draft
Judge dismisses felony convictions of 5 retired military officers in US Navy bribery case
New Jersey Devils forward Timo Meier has post
90 Day Fiance's Stephanie Matto claims she was FIRED by a 'very high
Get better sleep with these 5 tips from experts