Highly strung: Pro racquets need re-stringing

Clothes, equipment, posters, keyrings, you name it, you can buy it.

This year's favourite purchase seems to be the football-sized tennis ball, which gleeful Parisian kids use to destroy the ground's rhododendrons.

The one thing that does not seem to be freely available, however, is sun tan lotion - the red-faced thousands can't all be Brits abroad, so it seems the French are just as reckless as us at the first sight of sun.

Ice creams are everywhere, and while they won't do much for second degree burns, they will at least cool you down.

The nice people at Roland Garros are ever so obliging, particularly when it comes to parting you from your money.

But there is also plenty to do without opening your wallet - any kids hoping to take their first steps to one day appearing at Roland Garros can play mini-tennis, and the stars take time out to encourage those who want to try.

'Smash zone'

A scaled down version of real tennis, it gives youngsters the chance to get the feel of the game without spending all their time and energy chasing errant shots.

There's also the "smash zone" where you can have the speed of your serve measured by a machine - although this is probably not really meant for those who have yet to progress to serving overarm.

Next up is the "Terre de Tennis", where you can learn how to be a ballboy (you never know when it might come in handy), check out all the tennis sites on the web, and see the stars' racquets being restrung.

At the end of the trip one of the world's top players is usually on hand to sign autographs.

And if none of that interests you, well, the tennis isn't bad.