the essential
The USSPA player will participate in her first world championships on Sunday in Tokyo. A new level and environment for Caroline Mittag-Rossel, who leaves for Japan with many questions in mind. And impatience.
At first she thought it was a mistake. But, generally, the federations do not make mistakes in this type of case. Then she read the email, saw her name listed in a list of four women. And she understood. Understood that she was selected with the French over-45 team to compete in the world team championships in the category, from November 17 to 23 in Tokyo, Japan. Many would have jumped for joy in such a case. But not Caroline Mittag-Rossel. “Actually, I hid the email for a week,” she laughs.
Not out of lack of interest, more out of concern for the whole gray area surrounding the rest of the events. “When I saw the destination, Japan, I admit that it slowed me down. I’m not really into long-haul flights, and I thought about the whole trip there was going to be…” Before that she is not “put back on the right path” by her own people. “I spoke about it to my husband and my son, the answers were identical: ‘Ah but yes, you have to go’”, smiles the 48-year-old player. Sense in which the president of his club the USSPA, Jean-Paul Mariou, abounded, as did various acquaintances.
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This selection may have surprised the Gardoise by birth, but she had already set foot on the road leading to Tokyo. By winning the title of French champion over 45 years old, in Le Touquet at the end of last June, she had a good chance of being selected by the French Tennis Federation (FFT) for the Worlds. However, if she is used to competing in national competitions, this Tokyo stage is an additional, unknown step. “Obviously, I ask myself a lot of questions about the level of the opponents, about whether I would be up to the task. Especially since France is the title holder, we must not do anything!” Caroline Mittag-Rossel will nevertheless be able to rely on her French delegation, and in particular her three teammates Caroline Lefevre, Carine Maisonnave and Ségolène Berger – ex 180e World WTA –, the last two mentioned already being in the champion team in 2023.
“Not used to saying that”
So the adopted Albigensian did not sit idly by. Without revolutionizing her training, she has somewhat strengthened her sessions, supervised by Arnaud Mariou, sports advisor to the Tarn committee and licensed at the USSPA. “I thank him! Ditto for the committee which gave me a room to play on hard, the surface of the world championships. All this reassured me enormously about my level of play”, assures the one who says she is “proud to be able to representing the USSPA and the Tarn there”. And France. “Ah yes too! But hey, you see, I’m not used to saying that,” she laughs.
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Just as she is not used to playing in settings normally reserved for professionals, such as the Ariane Tennis Center, which hosts these World Championships. “It’s the site of the Tokyo ATP tournament, where the 2021 Olympics took place. It’s a bit like if you put football or rugby fans on the lawn of the Stade de France”, image the tenniswoman. And to certify: “I’m quite impatient to be there. I didn’t expect it so much in fact. So I take it as an experience to live and, sportingly, I don’t put pressure on myself, you have to take advantage of it .”
In particular, by creating memories with family, since her husband, her sister and her brother-in-law will be traveling with her. The whole group left yesterday and will arrive in the Japanese capital today. “We will probably only go once in our life. So we might as well find out,” recognizes Caroline Mittag-Rossel. She will also discover, there, what she is capable of on the international scene, hoping to bring home the trophy for the USSPA.
