HITTING WITH FRIENDS: MIKKEL HANSEN & THOMAS MONDÉMÉ.
Tennis as a sport and pastime has always been defined by a certain sense of solitude — we are forever alone, on our own, out there on court. There’s no one to save us from the potential abyss of our own thoughts or an off-day backhand, except for ourselves.
But at the same time, we’re never truly alone; there’s always someone out there with us, moving about right across the net, going through similar thoughts and emotions of joy, distress, relief, excitement and wonder. And more often than not, that person is someone that we’ve played against many times before, be they friends, family or hitting partner.
As part of our desire to explore this dynamic, we’re excited to introduce the latest edition of Hitting With Friends, starring friends Mikkel Hansen and Thomas Mondéme on the Paris clay courts.
What initially got you into tennis?
Thomas: I remember watching the French Open as a kid and, once the match was done, grabbing a racquet, running outside to hit balls against the wall of a nearby farm. I grew up in a small French village but it had two public tennis courts, which was pretty cool.
Mikkel: I think I have always been a big admirer of tennis. From playing it myself as a kid and understanding the difficulty and complexity of the game as well as watching it on TV. As a kid, I was a big fan of Pat Rafter and remember while in Italy on vacation, on the very first day, spending all of my money on the racquet that he played with at the time. The joy was indescribable and I was the proudest and happiest kid on the planet, spending time with my new Pat Rafter racquet.
Photography by
@fabiasamuel 
