September 17, 2024 at 6:59 p.m. – Modified: September 17, 2024 at 9:29 p.m. by Dolorès CHARLES
Open Blot of Rennes
Credit : Open Blot of Rennes
For its 18th edition, the Open Blot Rennes broke its attendance record at the Liberté (between September 9 and 15), with more than 32,000 spectators. The Open in partnership with your radio, confirms its place as a major event in Rennes.
The day after a new edition won by Jacob Fearnley, theOpen Blot Rennes is proud of its new attendance record: 32,230 spectators. The major tennis tournament in Brittany could this year count on the opening of a fourth stand to better regulate its flow and increase its capacity.
The free opening of the Open Village to the public allowed the public to come and encourage the players, particularly French and Breton… and to take part in the activities: pétanque, palets, drone soccer and mini tennis courts, and the new feature of the year, the padel court, which allowed everyone to warm up before joining the central court!
A school audience
Valentin Monnier had held out the microphone to fans of the little yellow ball and schoolchildren present during this week. “We really like tennis and it’s a gift from our children for Mother’s Day; they said “come to the Rennes Open, it’s great”. It’s impressive to see all these young people because they are the future. They are going to learn and they are going to want to do more…”
The public came to see, among others, Lucas Pouille, the local of the stage.I know Lucas Pouille and I hope he continues the tournament. I accompany schoolchildren, sixth-graders and we will have all the students behind Lucas. We want to see good play. We have three classes who were there on Tuesday, who had a great day… He is a very good player and I am very optimistic for his victory. He is from Rennes, he is from Brittany, so we encourage him!”
A collective success and an ambition
This “collective success” delights and encourages Open Blot Rennes to continue to develop. “This ambition, which has been nurtured for several years, can only be realized through an evolution and a change of direction for the ATP 100 Challenger. The Open teams will do everything possible to see this desire come true, and are already looking forward to seeing the people of Rennes in 2025 for a new edition!”
For the tournament director, Matthieu Blesteau, the goal has been achieved: “bringing together all the people around this beautiful sport through a unifying event. I think that this mission has been accomplished this year, but that does not distract us from our ambition, to grow again and again.”
And Nicolas Mahut, sports director, continued:Thanks to a quality line-up and perfect organisation by Rivacom Events and their teams, the Rennes public was able to enjoy a great week of tournament on the central court. We hope to be able to move up a gear in the future with an evolution to ATP 125.”
Jacob Fearnley: “I really want to come back here.”
To conclude, a word from Jacob Fearnley, the winner of the 2024 edition: “The crowd was incredible, I heard them screaming on the beautiful points. They were great with me. I only played French players, but they were very fair. I didn’t expect to see so many people. I want to thank the whole tournament organization, the ball boys, the line judges, all the people who make this tournament very special. I really want to come back here.”
See you from September 8 to 14, 2025
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