French Open 'Merci Rafa' T-shirts Resurface Online at Sky-high Prices

25 May 2025, France, Paris: Former Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal waves to the audience during his honoring ceremony at the Court Philippe Chatrier at the French Open tennis tournament (Roland-Garros). Photo: Frank Molter/dpa
25 May 2025, France, Paris: Former Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal waves to the audience during his honoring ceremony at the Court Philippe Chatrier at the French Open tennis tournament (Roland-Garros). Photo: Frank Molter/dpa
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French Open 'Merci Rafa' T-shirts Resurface Online at Sky-high Prices

25 May 2025, France, Paris: Former Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal waves to the audience during his honoring ceremony at the Court Philippe Chatrier at the French Open tennis tournament (Roland-Garros). Photo: Frank Molter/dpa
25 May 2025, France, Paris: Former Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal waves to the audience during his honoring ceremony at the Court Philippe Chatrier at the French Open tennis tournament (Roland-Garros). Photo: Frank Molter/dpa

French Open organizers handed out 10,000 brick-red T-shirts for Sunday's tribute to 14-times Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal on Monday and while most people took the souvenir home, several tried to sell them online for up to 500 euros.

The "Merci Rafa" T-shirts turned the stands into a living canvas, while high in the upper tiers, fans in white shirts formed a mosaic: "RAFA" flanked by hearts and the characters "14 RG".

T-shirts were up for sale on Monday morning with prices ranging from 150 to 500 euros, to the disappointment of the French tennis federation (FFT), Reuters reported.

"That some people are taking the opportunity to make money off the 'Merci Rafa' T-shirt, I find that a bit deplorable, but we weren’t going to take the T-shirt back in the end," FFT president Gilles Moretton told reporters.

"We did something unique, and with uniqueness sometimes comes this kind of drift. I saw some prices that scared me."



Astronaut Brings French Menu in Space

The astronaut and chef held a tasting in Paris to decide the menu, the ESA said 
The astronaut and chef held a tasting in Paris to decide the menu, the ESA said 
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Astronaut Brings French Menu in Space

The astronaut and chef held a tasting in Paris to decide the menu, the ESA said 
The astronaut and chef held a tasting in Paris to decide the menu, the ESA said 

When you think about the food that astronauts eat in space, lobster, haddock and foie gras probably don't spring to mind - but that's exactly what France's next visitor to the International Space Station (ISS) will be dining on.

According to BBC, Astronaut Sophie Adenot has teamed up with award-winning French chef Anne-Sophie Pic to create a menu of gastronomic delights that will travel with Adenot to the ISS next year.

Instead of the usual freeze-dried nutrients that astronauts eat, Adenot, 42, will be choosing from the likes of “Foie gras cream on toasted brioche” and “Lobster bisque with crab and caraway.”

The menu - which the European Space Agency (ESA) has dubbed “a pinch of France in space” - includes four starters, two main courses and two desserts.

Adenot said the dishes, which also include braised beef, and chocolate cream, will not only “delight our palates” but also help her feel connected to Earth, and her home country.

“Her (Pic's) cuisine signature is deeply influenced by the terroir. This is important to me because I grew up in the countryside, and it will remind me of my roots,” she was quoted as saying in an ESA statement.

There are strict rules for food on the ISS - it must be crumb-free, lightweight and keep for at least 24 months, the ESA says.

Therefore, most meals are canned, vacuum packed or freeze-dried, with fresh fruit and vegetables a rare luxury that can only be enjoyed when a spacecraft arrives with new supplies.

But to keep things interesting, boost morale, and help with crew bonding, every tenth or so meal is one prepared especially for each astronaut, with these “bonus meals” often made in partnership with a chef.

Famous for her haute cuisine, Pic, 55, has the most Michelin stars of any female chef in the world - 10.

She says this project is "pushing the boundaries" of gastronomy, as she worked with her team to create special food, while keeping within the technical constraints.

“Cooking for space is an exhilarating challenge,” she was quoted as saying by the ESA.