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They sipped from glasses of Champagne or ros while seated on the sand-colored cushions of wicker couches on a "terrasse" overlooking some smaller courts at Roland Garros. They crowded walkways and stood in lines dozens deep for waffles painted with Nutella or baguettes layered with ham, cheese and butter and, sometimes, they gave up on those waits that could take 15 minutes or more. In the stands, they wore their white hats and cried Allez!" and punctuated points with rhythmic clapping. They took etiquette-breaching strolls through the stadium aisles during play. Most of all, and most important of all, they were there. The crowds at the French Open were back to their no-mask, no-distancing, full-capacity, pre-pandemic levels Sunday for the start of this year's edition, as much a part of the fabric of the event as the red clay that defines the Grand Slam tournament. A really festive atmosphere, observed Alice Dufour, a 21-year-old who was part of a group trip from her Miramont tenn
Serbia and Spain will square off in the group stage of the Davis Cup Finals, organizers said after holding a draw. That could mean a matchup of Novak Djokovic against Rafael Nadal when their nations play as part of Group B along with Canada and South Korea in Valencia from Sept. 14-18. Nadal did not play for Spain last year; Djokovic helped Serbia reach the semifinals. Group A, hosted by Bologna, will include Croatia last year's runner-up along with Italy, Argentina and Sweden. Group C, in Hamburg, will pit Germany against France, Belgium and Australia. Britain, the United States, Kazakhstan, and the Netherlands will play in Group D in Glasgow. Serbia was in the draw to replace Russia, last year's champion, after it was expelled by the International Tennis Federation for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The top two teams of each group will advance to the knockout rounds, including quarterfinals, semifinals and final to be played in Spain's southern city of Mlaga from Nov. 21-27.