Redondo Beach 2024 Olympian: Giron runs steps at Ave. D to train for Roland Garros courts
by Garth Meyer
Running the clay courts of Roland Garros at the 2024 Paris Olympics will be calves strengthened on the stairs of Avenue D, in Redondo Beach.
Marcos Giron, a Redondo resident for the pasts two years who grew up in Thousand Oaks, is one of four men on the American tennis team going to the Paris Olympics.
He just finished three months of play in Europe, culminating in a second-round loss at Wimbledon to Alexander Zverev. Then Giron went to the Sequoias to recharge.
On Wednesday, he was back in the South Bay, for two weeks of training at the USTA Center in Carson, before flying out to Paris July 22.
“For me, the South Bay is peace and tranquility. When people say L.A., you don’t necessarily think relaxed,” said Giron, who studied economics at UCLA before turning pro in 2014 after his junior year. He spends 25-30 weeks per year on the road.
Players were chosen for the Olympic team by ranking. Giron, the no. 6 American player, made the team after Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe and Sebastian Korda declined their invitations. The team is led by top-ranked U.S. players Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul, along with Giron (ranked no. 46 in the world) and Christopher Eubanks.
How does Giron describe the four major tennis tournaments?
“The Australian; the happy slam,” he said.
“The French: it’s dirty, it’s clay, you go there for war.”
“Wimbledon: the most posh: every flower, ever blade. Every detail is taken care of. The heritage of England.”
“U.S. Open: The energy. You get the zoo. It’s 45 minutes outside the city but you still feel the energy.”
On the plane to Paris, as always, Giron will check a suitcase and carry on his 6 to 8 rackets. He will live in the Olympic Village.
“I want to experience it. I want to be there with all of the other athletes,” he said.
Giron also played in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, during the height of the pandemic. The USTA kept the the tennis players in a hotel. He finished 17th, playing singles, which he will compete in again in Paris.
“I’m excited to represent my country, and the South Bay and get after it,” Giron said. ER