The modernization of the Roland-Garros stadium does not prevent a nod to history. As proof, the revelation, Monday April 12, of a statue of the aviator who gave his name to the place, but also to the French lifting of the Grand Slam of tennis. It has just been installed in the stadium in the presence of the new president of the French Tennis Federation (FFT), Gilles Moretton, and the artist who created the sculpture, Caroline Brisset. The FFT explains in a press release that it “ wanted to pay tribute to this pioneer of French aviation and hero of the 1st World War which gave its name to the stadium". Made of steel, the work measures more than six meters in height. It represents a portrait of Roland Garros, inspired by a photo where he poses leaning on the cockpit. Its name, “The cloud kisser”, refers to the nickname given to the French pilot, “The man who flirts with the clouds”. The statue will take its permanent place on the brand new “aviator square”, near the new general public entrance to the Roland-Garros stadium, called “gate 1”.
