ROLAND-GARROS
19 May - 8 June 2025
The duo in question are Gustavo Heide and Camilla Bossi, both from Sao Paulo state, who took the honours in the Brazilian leg of the Roland-Garros Junior Wild Card Series, held on 3-7 April, in Itajaí, on the country’s Atlantic coast.
Roland-Garros Junior Wild Card Series: Success for Sao Paulo pair
Two Sao Paulo youngsters have earned a trip to Paris and a chance to win places in the juniors draws at RG19.
The event took place on the clay courts of the Itamirim Clube de Campo, where Gustavo beat Rafael Silva, a finalist in last year’s competition, 3-6 6-4 6-3 in the boys’ final.
“I was a bit nervous to begin with,” said the winner. “There were a lot of people and TV cameras too (the final was shown live on BandSports, the official Roland-Garros broadcaster in Brazil), but I managed to calm myself down and start playing my game.”
One thing in mind: to shine at Roland-Garros!
Gustavo, who comes from the town of Ribeirão Preto, has just one thing on his mind now: to shine at Roland-Garros. His victory has earned him a ticket to the Junior Wild Card Series finals in Paris, where he will take on the Chinese and Indian winners of their national competitions. The prize for the winner is a wild card in the Roland-Garros 2019 Juniors draw.
“I’m going to train now so I can go to Paris and play my very best tennis, just like I did here,” added Gustavo. “I’m so happy.”
In the girls’ competition, 15-year-old Camilla Bossi beat the favourite Nalanda Silva 3-6 7-6 (9) 7-6 (3) in the final. “Like they say, age doesn’t matter and time doesn’t matter,” said Camilla. “I don’t even think about that stuff. I just go out on court, play and have fun. That’s why I play tennis.”
She added: “I can’t describe how it feels to win this title.”
Marcelo Melo as an ambassador
“On behalf of Brazilian tennis, I would like to thank the French Tennis Federation for partnering with us and for their faith in the work we have done in Brazil,” said Rafael Westrupp, the president of the Brazilian Tennis Confederation, speaking after the finals. “The staging of another Roland-Garros Junior Wild Card Series is a sign of the excellent cooperation between us over these last five years.”
Brazilian doubles star Marcelo Melo put in an appearance as the competition got under way, in his capacity as the ambassador of the Roland-Garros Junior Wild Card Series in Brazil. The former world No. 1 and current world No. 6 and a 2015 French Open men’s doubles champion, Melo shared some quality time on court with the 32 participants, to the delight of everyone at the tournament.