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Henri Leconte will be one of RTL's consultants during the Paris Olympic Games, which kick off on 26 July.
He will appear daily on RTL Matin and throughout the day as the news develops.
He is also expected to appear on the major night-time broadcast of the Games, hosted by Éric Silvestro.
Official website
Hello everyone,
« Henri's mail » special edition of the Olympic Games.
This is it! The Olympic Games are starting! The opening ceremony is just hours away! I'm very happy and proud to have these Olympic Games in Paris. We've been dreaming of this for many years, and now it's here!
It's time to encourage our athletes in all disciplines with passion, emotion and pride.
We all have a soft spot for certain sports, but each athlete is unique, incredible and living a daydream.
As a sportsman, I was lucky enough to take part in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. It was extraordinary, unforgettable.
I find myself in the village amongst the athletes and suddenly there's not a sound, total silence, a historic moment: the Dream Team enters the athletes' restaurant! We all turn around and discover Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen ... they're all there! In front of these giants, we were all like children, very small, respectful, happy, stars in our eyes, not a fly was flying. Magic and his team are right there in front of us! I was with Guy (Forget) and nearly dropped my lunch tray! I was speechless in front of our idols. They were so kind, so simple, so classy! They made Olympic history.
I'll never forget that moment. When I look at the photo today, I still get chills and have so much respect for these champions. I was so lucky to experience that! That's what the Olympic Games are all about, bringing together athletes of the highest calibre.
To all Paris 2024 participants, may you be strong! Make the most of this unique event!
Happy Olympic Games to you! See you on RTL every day and on site.
See you soon,
Henri
After having been very present in the media (see here) to promote his book « Balles neuves », Henri went to see his public to talk and sign his book.
Here are the places, dates and times where you can meet him this year:
JANUANY
6 --> Hazebrouck, during the Haz Master Tour
13 --> Luxembourg, Ernster bookshop from 3 pm
16 --> Annecy, BMW Rossi dealership from 5.30 pm
19 --> Nancy, Fnac from 5pm
20 --> Strasbourg, Tennis Club Strasbourg from 10 am / Fnac from 3 pm
21 --> Luxembourg, Car Avenue Leulange
27 --> Boulogne-sur-mer, Fnac from 2.3 0pm
28 --> Boulogne-sur-mer, Tennis Club
FEBRUARY
2 --> Auxerre, theatre from 6.30 pm
MARCH
16 --> Pierrelatte, Tennis Club from 10 am
16 --> Valence, Fnac from 3 pm
24 --> Bondues, Salon du livre from 9.30 am
APRIL
6 --> Monte-Carlo, Metropole Shopping Monte-Carlo Fnac from 3 pm
18 --> Brest, Business Club
23 --> Paris, Parenthèse littéraire, théâtre de l'Ile Saint-Louis from 7 pm
24 --> Niort, Business Club
25 --> Nanterre, Sukuzi concession inauguration at 7.30 pm
MAY
4 --> Rouen, Tennis Club from 10 pm
7 --> Besançon, Foire comtoise
16 --> Villeneuve d'Ascq
21-22 --> Strasbourg, Internationaux de Strasbourg
JULY
10 --> Contrexeville, Grand Est Open 88
AUGUST
25 --> Chanceaux-près-Loches, Festival La Fôret des Livres
SEPTEMBER
14 --> Taninges, Tennis Club from 10 am
29 --> Neuville-en-Ferrain, Festival de la biographie
OCTOBER
11 --> Saumur, Café littéraire
Henri Leconte was invited to the Tennis Club de Hombourg-Haut to inaugurate padel courts bearing his name.
"Thank you very much for this wonderful attention. I am very happy and honoured to have padel courts named after me. Thank you to the Mayor and his team for hosting and organising this beautiful day."
Interview
Pics
Back on the courts for Henri at Berry's Tennis at Hazlewood Castle.
Full details of this event via the link below.
Official website
Henri Leconte was invited to the « Stars & stories » programme at the Casino 2000 in Mondorf-les-bains to present his book « Balles neuves ». In the presence of a large and very attentive audience, he spoke about the path that led him to write this book.
Here are the main extracts from his speech.
Virgule.lu
Hello everyone,
That's it, it's over, Roland-Garros 2024 is over and it has crowned two fine winners:
Iga Swiatek won her fourth French Open tournament, her third in a row. Will she match Chris Evert's record of 7 wins? She seems well on the way.
Carlos Alcaraz, who made his dream come true by winning the title, with an incredible statistic: when he's in the final, everyone's safe! At the moment, he's invincible! Will his body be able to withstand the intensity of King Rafa's? Only time will tell.
Of course, let's not forget the finalists:
Jasmine Paolini confirms the great form of Italian tennis! What a great tournament for this player, small in stature but big in talent, with a huge heart and always a smile on her face. A real joy!
Alexander Zverev also put in a remarkable performance, starting his tournament by beating Rafa Nadal. What resilience after his serious injury two years ago on this very court in the semi-finals against ... Rafa Nadal. He has come full circle. He is like Stan Wawrinka, knocking on the door of the very best to one day win the grail.
It was Jannik Sinner, alias Skinner (he was a skiing champion), who claimed the grail by becoming world number one following Novak Djokovic's premature defeat through injury. He dethroned Adriano Panatta, who won here in 1976 by saving a match point in the 1st round against Pavel Hutka with a spectacular dive!
How could we not mention the master of the house, the king of the clay, the toro of Manacor, I quote the King Rafa Nadal! A very difficult draw against one of the tournament favourites: Sasha Zverev in the first round. True to form, Rafa fought to the very end with courage, determination and all his heart, and came within a whisker of a fourth set. The step was too high, but it was not a farewell, Rafa did not want a tribute, leaving his many fans hopeful. See you at the Olympic Games on this same court. Why not win a medal with Alcaraz?
As for the French, we had two in the last 16: Varvara Gracheva, our bright ray of sunshine, and Corentin Moutet, with his tennis from another era, who gave Sinner a hard time!
Well done to Edouard Roger-Vasselin, who found his partner for the mixed doubles (Laura Siegemund) ten minutes before registration closed ... and went on to win the tournament! A great story ten years after his doubles victory here with Julien Benneteau.
The two covered courts served well (and were quickly written off for the Lenglen), with the rain having the bad idea of being a nuisance for much of the tournament. The light also helped to make it possible to play later.
Just one final message: it would perhaps, but certainly, have been a good idea to schedule the Swiatek-Osaka match (remember, they are or were No. 1 or not?!!) as a night session? It was the best match of the fortnight, men and women combined. That's just my opinion, I'm just saying that ...!
That's it, Roland Garros 2024 is over. Well done, everyone, see you next year, and don't forget: we'll be back in the same place in two months' time for the Olympic Games, and we're going to get the atmosphere going - it's going to be hot!
See you soon,
Henri
Iga Swiatek (for the fourth time) and Carlos Alcaraz (a first for him) were the big winners of the fortnight on clay at Roland-Garros.
At the same time, Jannick Sinner became world number one, the first Italian since Adriano Panatta.
Find out more about the tournament in the « Henri's mail » above.
Check out Henri's various interviews and his chronicles for RTL, in which he looks back on the highlights of each day, as well as exclusive photos from the tournament and the Thophée des Légendes by Emirates, in which Henri took part. He played mixed doubles with Andrea Petkovic, doubles with John McEnroe and doubles with Guy Forget.
Exclusive pics
RTL, les français
RTL, Rafa Nadal
RTL, Corentin Moutet
RTL, all the chronics
Quotidien du sport
As part of the promotion of his book « Balles neuves », Henri Leconte visited the Rugby Club twice to present and sign the book. On the second evening, Jean-Paul Loth - who wrote the preface to the book - was honoured.
"Two superb evenings in your company. Thank you to all the guests and the Rugby Club team. See you soon."
Hello everyone,
Today's « Henri's mail » special on equipment: we're going to be talking about the tennis racket.
Many people think that the racket makes the player! Generally speaking, people choose it on the basis of a number of criteria, including the way they play, their idol and even imitating their various grins.
The racket should be an extension of your arm, like a painter with a brush capable of being fine, imposing and powerful all at once. Matisse, Picasso and many others, the choice is yours.
Another very important thing: the rope. Finding the right flexibility and rigidity isn't easy. It's like driving a car: you have to find the right settings, talk to the right people in your club or elsewhere and try out the equipment.
Personally, I like a string with a good feel, capable of being supple, precise and lively at the same time, so it's complicated, you might say! The only string I've found is quite thin on clay and other surfaces and even very thin, but only for Wimbledon on grass. It was fantastic, a magnificent sound and feel, a dream.
But that's not all! You also need to find the right balance for your racket. Some prefer more weight in the head, others neutral, but for me more in the handle so that I can control it.
Weight is very important if you don't want to injure yourself (tendonitis, etc). When I started out, we played with wooden rackets, then graphite, which was nothing like it is today. My rackets weighed 385g with a 32.5 balance, while others weighed 400g or more... anvils.
Don't forget the grip: get the right feel so you don't overdo it. I had a grip 4 with Fairway leather made in England, like John Mc Enroe and Stefan Edberg, to keep the feel.
When I started out, I had various wooden rackets: Marville, Addidas, Slazenger, Head. Then graphite came along and Head made an incredible racket, the Confort, and the one that left its mark on tennis, the Prestige. When you hit a shot it whistled like a bird, and I loved that.
Then, of course, other brands came along with varying degrees of success.
One was incredible: Fischer, the one that marked my history and the history of French tennis in 1991 when I won the Davis Cup. It gave me everything: flexibility, precision and power. It was ideal!
Today I'm playing with an Australian racket from Heysil, which reminds me of the good times thanks to a man with a passion for tennis who I met in Australia at the WTC Challenge in Adelaide. Jeffrey is a dentist and stringer, and he offered me the chance to try out his prototype. It gave me a great feeling straight away. Since then, he's been making me personalised, numbered, made-to-measure rackets. It's been a dream. Thank you Jeffrey.
What's your racket? What does it mean to you?
I look forward to hearing from you!
See you soon,
Henri
After Brittany, Henri Leconte will be giving a talk on surpassing oneself for the Deux Sèvres Business Club in Mazières-en-Gâtine.
All the information you need can be found on our Conferences page.
Nouvelle République
Henri Leconte presented and signed his book « Balles neuves » at the prestigious Théâtre de l'Ile Saint-Louis in Paris. Accompanied by Patricia Hostein, his interlocutor, he went back over his career, the key encounters that helped him evolve, his passions... and exchanged views with the audience.
"I had an unforgettable and touching time on stage yesterday. Thank you Patricia for giving me this unique experience. The beginning of something...?"
Back to conferences with the Business Club group for Henri Leconte.
He will be going to the Brest Business Club in Gouesnou to talk about surpassing oneself.
All the information you need can be found on our Conferences page.
Ahead of the 18th edition of the Open Blot in September, Henri Leconte was invited to Rennes by the Rivacom agency to run the Open en Quartiers operation, sponsored by Pierre Promotion, with the aim of bringing tennis to as many people as possible.
He then took part in the tournament presentation evening with the organisers..
Ouest France
Rennes Business Mag
A busy schedule for Henri back in Boulogne-sur-Mer, culminating in the inauguration of the brand new Pôle raquettes and the centre court bearing his name.
In front of a packed audience, he unveiled the plaque on his court in the company of Gilles Moretton, President of the French Tennis Federation, and Franck Paque, President of the Boulogne Tennis Club.
After several planned visits to the region, he witnessed Great Britain's victory (and Emma Raducanu's return to the highest level) over France. This match in the qualifying round of the Billie Jean King Cup was organised in Le Portel.
"Another unforgettable stay in Boulogne-sur-Mer! Thank you from the bottom of my heart to Franck and everyone who worked on this magnificent project. I'm very proud, happy and moved to have such a beautiful court named after me. I'll be seeing you very soon."
La Voix du Nord
Exclusive pics
Henri headed south to Monaco's Fnac store in the Metropole Shopping Center. It was in this beautiful setting that he met his public and signed his book.
"A dream weekend here in Monaco. Thank you to everyone who made this magnificent event possible."
Exclusive pics (copyright Metropole Shopping Monte-Carlo)
Henri took part in his first Salon du livre in Bondues. A very large and enthusiastic audience was there to welcome him, talk to him and get him to sign his book.
He was also delighted to be reunited with Luc Leblanc, former world road cycling champion.
"I had an excellent time in Bondues, and the welcome was exceptional. Many thanks to everyone!"
Henri Leconte stopped off in the Drôme region at the Tennis Club de Pierrelatte and then at Fnac in Valence. Responding to an invitation from Serge Boyer (President of the Pierrelatte Tennis Club), he presented and signed his book to a packed audience.
"What a pleasure to come back to this region where I have so many fond memories. Well done and thank you all for your welcome, your kindness and your generosity. Top organisation, I'll be back soon."
Exclusive pics (copyright Marine Boyer)
Hello everyone,
The news is in: Rafa Nadal will not be taking part in the Indian Wells tournament. It's a huge blow for the organisers and all his fans, but is it really a surprise?
Didn't he make a mistake by wanting to play on hard court, a very hard surface for the body (my back still remembers it), and Rafa's body is bruised: hip, thigh, wrist, foot... I find it hard to understand this choice.
Now he has to concentrate on clay, HIS clay, with the French Open in his sights in May and July thanks to the Olympic Games.
We want to see him finish in the spotlight!
We want to hear his « Vamos » again, fist raised, haranguing the crowd, seeking the cheers of the public after an exceptional rally as only he knows how to do, and terasser his opponents.
We want to see him fight like a devil, admire his courage, his will, his self-sacrifice and his fair play.
We want to be able to vibrate with him once again.
Roger Federer's departure was hard on all of us, and Rafa's will be just as hard, so of course we want to be able to enjoy every last speck of clay played by this extraordinary champion.
But for the moment, the end of his career bears a striking resemblance to that of his greatest rival on the courts and his good friend: Roger Federer. A lot of preparation and physical problems piling up as his rivals raise their game.
So stop or stop again? It would be heartbreaking for the king of clay to stop playing just a few short weeks from now. What we would like to see him do is give it one last go for one last round of tennis. Go one last time beyond the pain and take all the love and immense respect of the public before fully enjoying the post-tennis era.
Vamos Rafa!
I look forward to hearing from you... winners, of course!
See you soon,
Henri
Back in his native region, Henri Leconte was invited to the ATP "Play in Challenger" tournament in Lille.
After presenting and signing his book « Balles neuves », he made the toss in the final, won by French favourite Arthur Rinderknech against Belgium's Joris de Loore.
"Thank you all for a wonderful time in this region that I love so much. Well done Arthur for this fine victory, which will give you confidence for the rest of your season."
Official website
First "Set and Lunch by CBTW" this year at the Tennis Club des Arquebusiers for Henri and his guests.
"I'm very pleased to have taken part with you all in this 1st "Set and Lunch by CBTC" 2024. Thank you and see you at the next one in March."
Here are Henri Leconte's latest videos for Comme J'aime
« Balles neuves » promotion in Brussels for Henri Leconte.
Accompanied by Philippe Werts, Henri appeared on several programmes to talk about his book. As he is particularly fond of this country and its people, these few intense hours were spent in an excellent atmosphere.
"I was delighted to come to Belgium to promote my book. Thank you Philippe for your precious help and friendship. Thank you to all the radio, TV and press teams I met who were so welcoming and generous with me."
Les visiteurs du soir
RTBF
Exclusive pics
A lifelong car enthusiast, Henri Leconte was delighted to attend the Salon rétromobile in Paris. He met many friends and discovered some superb cars. See for yourself.
Exclusive photos
Official website
Back on home soil! Invited by Franck Paque and his team to Boulogne-sur-Mer to sign his new book « Balles neuves », Henri had a sporting weekend as he was accompanied by Pauline Parmentier, he kicked off the Boulogne / Nanterre92 basketball match and supported the players during the final stages of the tennis tournament.
"Two exceptional days, and thank you all for your welcome, your generosity and your kindness. We look forward to seeing you again soon for more great moments of sharing, sport and emotion."
Exclusive photos
Aryana Sabalenka and Jannick Sinner are the big winners of this Australian Open.
For the second year running, Aryana Sabalenka triumphed in Australia. Her opponent, the Chinese Quinwen Zheng, could do nothing as she is so far above the rest.
She's on another planet, she has the power of Serena Willimans, and she's putting severe scores on everyone, a bit like Steffi Graf did. She has the potential to dominate tennis over the next few years, provided she develops her game and gives it more variation.
Coco Gauff was the only one to stand up to Sabalenka, but she still needs to work on her explosiveness if she is to turn the corner.
Although Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina lost out early on, they will be playing leading roles this year.
In the men's draw, Jannick Sinner's victory over Daniil Medvedev, his first in a Grand Slam, came as no surprise. He finished 2023 on a high note, beating Novak Djokovic twice. He is the player of the moment. It's up to him to confirm his new status as favourite in the coming tournaments. It'll be very interesting to see how he approaches the clay-court season, because he's not a landlubber. This atypical player, who lives his life the old-fashioned way (he's not on the net much, if at all), is doing tennis a world of good.
Novak Djokovic, beaten by Sinner in the semi-finals, will not - yet - win his 11th Australian Open. But pushed by the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev (who is coming back very strongly), he will be very dangerous at Roland Garros: he only likes challenges and records, so watch out for him, he's always there.
As is often the case, the French performed well in this tournament. Well done to Océane Dodin, Adrian Mannarino and Arthur Cazaux, who reached the last 16. We need to keep this momentum going.
After a short winter break, the Australian Open is back on the calendar..
Will defending champions Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic retain the trophy?
Will Novak, unbeaten since 2018, win his 11th Australian Open and 25th Grand Slam tournament?
Will the French players, who have sixteen representatives in the men's draw, be present?
Henri will be reporting on the highlights of the fortnight in his column #lavisdhenriaussie, which can be found on his various social networks (link on the home page).
Official website
Henri was invited to take part in the final stages of the Haz Master Tour, a sporting event that is growing in popularity.
After meeting the various members of the organisation and its many partners, he presented and signed his new book « Balles neuves ».
"Very happy to be back in my native region. Thank you for the warm welcome, the conviviality and your legendary generosity."
Hello everyone,
I wish you all the best for 2024!!
Return of « Henri's mail ». We'll be talking about King Rafa, who is back after a long absence due to injury.
I'm, we're, very happy to see him back on the courts because we missed him for many reasons: his fighting spirit, his power, his determination.
It's true that we had a great 2023 season with an incredible Djokovic who continues to make history. But hasn't he had a lack of rivals? The fact that Rafa is back will, I hope, change things and spice up this wonderful 2024 Olympic year.
I can't wait to see their five-set duel again but ... qui va piano va sano.
Rafa won his first two matches in Brisbane, so he has a progressive draw, which is good for him and will boost his confidence.
But whatever the opponent, Rafa always strikes fear. He impresses with his physique, his determination and his killer look. Even before he steps onto the court, his charisma and aura command respect. Psychologically, he's already made the breakthrough.
Admittedly, you'd think he'd be a little out of his depth on the court after not competing for a year, but experience tells us otherwise. But will he be able to control his emotions? I'll allow myself to dream. El Toro is back.
Now the only uncertainty is: how will he be able to string together the different matches during the Australian Open, recovering well because we're playing best of five sets?
I am, we are, looking forward to seeing him in the Australian garden after such a long absence and ... why not dream, see him make a comeback like Roger Federer and win?
Of course, let's not forget the ogre Djoko, who has won ten times, an all-time record. What we want and expect is a fight between these two gladiators.
By the way, speaking of the Joker, isn't he out to get us once again? Is the gladiator back ... or not?
Isn't his little wrist injury a way of taking the extra pressure off himself? We don't want that because we want to have another exceptional Australian Open.
Vamos Rafa!! Come on Nole!!
I look forward to your feedback!
See you soon,
Henri
