June 8, 2014.

Fiercest Match of French Open Tennis Tournament? Raptor vs. Pigeon

Winston thought. He knew what was meant by Oceania and that he himself was a citizen of Oceania. He also remembered Eurasia and Eastasia; but who was at war with whom he did not know. In fact he had not been aware that there was any war.

PARIS----To prepare for the French Open, one of the biggest events of his professional year, 007 loads up on protein----raw pigeon, rabbit and pheasant. Then he sharpens his beak and claws on Italian marble.

"I don’t remember."

In the past two weeks, in the skies over Roland Garros, the site of the French Open, 007 has participated in one of the fiercest matches of the French Grand Slam tennis tournament: raptor versus pigeon.

"Oceania is at war with Eastasia. Do you remember that now?"

The falcon is one of six predatory birds hired by the French Tennis Federation to scare off pesky pigeons. "We choose the birds we think will be most successful and train them in sporting conditions," says Ludwig Verschatse, the falconer who brings his birds to Paris's courts once a year.