The Swiss Marc Rosset, first winner in 1993, then a repeat winner in 1994 and 2000, his compatriot Roger Federer, the best player of all time, unfortunate finalist in 2000 and then winner in 2003, the French Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, triple winner in Marseille in 2009, 2013 and 2017, Gilles Simon, double winner in 2007 and 2015. And finally Arnaud Clément, the local boy, faithful among the faithful, who lifted the trophy in 2006. These 5 champions have truly marked the history of the tournament.
If you were to recommend to a young player to participate in the Open 13 Provence, what arguments would you use to convince him?
"I would say it's a great tournament, well organised, with really good playing conditions. The atmosphere is nice and there are very pretty hostesses (laughs)! It's a good tournament to play. The central is really nice, with very good conditions. If you are French speaking, this is a tournament you will surely enjoy. When you speak French, you feel a bit more at home. I've always loved it because I've also made friends there. All my memories in Marseille, sporting and non-sporting, are very strong.
"By telling him that the greats have been there! Lendl, Becker, Bruguera, Kuerten, Krajicek, Kafelnikov, Rios, Ferrero, Federer, Murray, Cilic, Del Potro, Nadal, Djokovic and Wawrinka have all been there, but also players of the new generation such as Zverev or Kyrgios, as well as all the French players of the last 30 years! You could almost say that the tournament has hosted more than 70 Grand Slams!
"I would just say to him, look at the winners of the tournament. Wouldn't you like to have your name among them? In any case, when I saw the list of winners twelve years ago, that's what I said to myself.
"This is what I would say to him: "It's an indoor tournament, but the weather is always great. And then it's the south of France, a very nice region, with an incredible public. In short, you will never regret this trip!
"You can sell the south of France and the fact that in February you have a great chance of getting sun. It's a tournament where the playing conditions are very good and where the welcome is very nice. Whatever the result, you know you're going to have a good time, that it's going to be cool. Seeing all the players who have played there is great too. The tournament has left its mark on Federer, a lot of great champions have come and gone. It's also because the team is friendly. They welcome everyone very well, and even more the nice guys!
