On a clay court in Marrakech, surrounded by orange blossom trees warming in the Winter sun, two legends reminded us that tennis is more than a sport. It's an emotion.
In the first-ever edition of the Fairmount Cup, put on by the team behind LUX Tennis at the Fairmont Royal Palm Marrakech, David Ferrer, a former world No. 3 and Spain's current Davis Cup captain took on Caroline Garcia, freshly retired off the WTA tour after an impressive career that netted her a WTA Final, among many titles.
The match started mid-afternoon in gentle weather. I moved along the court with my camera, from the sideline to the baseline. Around me, a small crowd of families, tennis fans, and many kids gathered, not for a fierce match, but for something more personal: a celebration of tennis and shared memories.
That is where TV falls short. On screen, you watch tennis, but in person, you truly feel it. Caroline’s energy lit up the court. Serving big and unleashing winners from all corners, while Ferrer was dancing on the court with compact strokes, with his classic headband in place.
Every rally felt different—as in every exhibition there were trick shots and blazing winners. David and Caroline shared high-fives, smiles, and playful moments. But it was the post-match interviews that gave insight into what the sport means to players even after their most competitive days are behind them, and for Garcia, whose retirement is just beginning, an indication of what's to come:
“Tennis gave me so much... and now I’m trying new things, learning new sports, improving," said Garcia, who spent as much time on the hotel's padel courts as on the crushed red brick tennis courts, as well as hit the links to try golf for the first time. “We played sports all day long: golf, tennis, padel, to the gym, to the pool, next time camels .”
Ferrer had some words of praise for Garcia's game:
"She surprised me because her serve is unbelievable. Unbelievable!," he said. "Her serve is much better than mine. She stands close to the baseline. She attacks. She plays a very aggressive style."
Tennis on TV is entertaining, but seeing it live—in any context—is something you can truly fall in love with. On screen, the sound is flat, just an echo compared to the sounds, sights and energy of a real match, all the better if the scent of orange blossoms wafts over the courts in the Moroccan winter sun.
