I need to begin with a disclaimer: I am a fan of Santa Claus. I have fond memories of writing wish-list letters to him as a child and bringing our sons to visit him at the mall when they were children.
Stretching along the south belly of Roland Garros, the Boulevard d’Auteuil has been eerily quiet without its usual traffic, the road blocked off at either end of the tournament site due to increased security at this year’s French Open.