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Tennis: Hugo Nys makes Monaco history in Rome

by: Luke Entwistle
24/05/2023
Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski

Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski won the ATP Masters 1000 Doubles tournament in Rome. It is the pair’s first title as a team after defeat in the Australian Open final earlier this year. 

Nys and Zielinski didn’t drop a set on their way to victory in Rome on Sunday. As they did throughout the tournament, the pair swept their opponents aside in the final, beating Botic Van de Zandschlup and Robin Hasse 7-6, 6-1.

Having narrowly missed out on a maiden Grand Slam title in Melbourne in February, Nys now has his hands on his first piece of silverware in 2023, and becomes the first Monegasque to win a Masters 1000 title. The result also takes him and his Polish partner to the top of the rankings, asserting them as one of the favourites heading into Roland Garros.

“[Winning Roland Garros] was realistic last year, and even more so this year,” Nys told Monaco Life back in January. His performances in Rome prove that.

“I feel great. I am very proud representing this federation, which has helped me for so many years. I am just so happy,” said Nys who, through victory in the Italian capital, dispels the disappointment of the Monte-Carlo Masters, where he exited in the first-round against the eventual winners of the iconic clay-court tournament.

Lucas Catarina wins in Sweden

Lucas Catarina added to a trophy-laiden weekend for the Monegasque Tennis Federation. The young Monegasque won the IFT Sweden F2 Futures tournament, beating home favourite Max Dahlin (1-6, 6-3, 6-7 [12-14]).

Catarina is one of many bright talents in what is a golden generation of Monegasque tennis. Nys’ exploits in Rome, as well as Romain Arneodo’s appearance in the Monte-Carlo Masters final in April, evidence the Principality’s capabilities of adding to the trophy cabinet further between now and the end of the year.

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Photo by Luke Entwistle, Monaco Life

Top athletes set to compete at Herculis this summer

by: Stephanie Horsman
23/05/2023
herculis

The Herculis EBS races are back in July and, this year, the roster is filled with world record holding athletes looking to better their times at the Stade Louis II. 

Every summer, the Herculis EBS races attract some of the world’s biggest track and field names to the Stade Louis II to compete, often for world records. Here are just a few of the standout runners expected at this summer’s event.  

FAITH KIPYEGON 

The 1,500m women’s race is Kenyan Faith Kipyegon’s for the taking. Last year at Herculis, she missed out on the world record by a slim, and heart-breaking, three-tenths of a second. She will have her chance at redemption this summer as she looks to beat her own personal best for the year as well as perhaps take over that world record spot.  

EMMANUEL KORIR 

Another Kenyan, Emmanuel Korir, has established himself as the King of the 800m, having taken home the gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the World Championships in Oregon the following year. He is no stranger to the Monaco track, having raced in the 800m and 1,000m in the last two editions. Hopes are high for his success this summer.  

5,000M HAS STIFF COMPETITION 

In the 5,000m, the competition will be stiff, but a few names stand out. One is Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo, who became World Champion last February and is looking to cross the finish line first again. He will get a serious run for his money from Ethiopian Behiru Aregawi, a world record holder in the 5,000m and the winner of the Wanda Diamond League in 2021 for the 5,000m. Also one to watch is France’s Jimmy Gressier, who has twice been European record holder in the 5,000m, in 2020 and 2023.  

In addition to these races, there are also other exciting track and field events like the javelin throw, long jump, high jump, pole jump and lots of other running races.  

The Herculis EBS is being held on 21st July and tickets are going for as low as €15. To reserve a spot or for more information, please click here. 

 

Do you have an event in Monaco or the French Riviera that you would like us to include in our What’s On section and events calendar? Please email editor@monacolife.net.  

 

Photo of Faith Kipyegon by Dan Vernon  

New Brad Pitt gin, The Gardener, to feature in Monaco GP cocktail

by: Stephanie Horsman
23/05/2023

The Gardener, a gin co-created by Brad Pitt and launched during the Cannes Film Festival, will be the key ingredient in the Hôtel Metropole’s Grand Prix signature cocktail, the Monaco Rush. 

What better way to invoke the glamour of the Monaco Grand Prix than to imbibe a drink made from a superstar’s distillery at a luxurious hotel?  

This is precisely the case with the Monaco Rush, an inspirational cocktail being offered at the Hôtel Metropole Monte-Carlo’s Lobby Bar that features The Gardener gin, a spirit created by Brad Pitt alongside the Perrin family and world-renowned distiller Tom Nichol.  

FRENCH INSPIRATION 

American actor Brad Pitt wanted to create a spirit “reflective of the place with which he fell in love”. He collaborated with former master distiller Tom Nichol, the second person ever to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Gin Guild.

In addition to The Gardener gin, the Perrin family also produce Brad Pitt’s Miravel rosé.

The Gardener gin is a tribute to the Riviera.

Notes of fresh and dried citrus permeate, including grapefruit, lemon, and sweet and bitter oranges from the region around Cap d’Antibes. Add to this the inventiveness of the Metropole’s mixologists, who blend the gin with peach coulis and liqueur, blackcurrant cream, mint and lemon juice… And the Monaco Rush is born.  

Described as “an elegant, refreshing and daring cocktail”, it will be found on the menu of the Lobby Bar from this week as the Grand Prix takes off.  

The Gardener gin and the Monaco Rush. Photo credit: Studio Phenix

LAVISH SETTING 

The cocktail, which costs €41, is just one reason to head to the Lobby Bar. Designed by Jacques Garcia, the space has a kind of private club atmosphere with décor combining tasteful objets d’art and antique books that give it the warm feeling of being in the sitting room of someone’s English country home. 

Other charms include Yoshi, the only Japanese restaurant on the Côte d’Azur to have been awarded a Michelin star, which offers typically Japanese cuisine in a contemporary setting designed by Didier Gomez, and Odyssey, the lounge-restaurant imagined and designed by Karl Lagerfeld that serves modern Mediterranean cuisine.  

So this Grand Prix weekend, when wondering where to go for elegance, glamour and a delicious cocktail, think no further than the Hotel Metropole and their new Monaco Rush.  

 

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Photo credit: Serge Chapuis

Key fishing stocks expected to fall dramatically in the Mediterranean

by: Elsa Carpenter
23/05/2023
fishing Mediterranean

The warming of the Mediterranean Sea, caused by rising global temperatures, could have drastic repercussions on the region’s prized fishing grounds, according to a new report. 

As part of the CLIM-ECO² project financed by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, researchers from the Centre Scientifique de Monaco (CSM) teamed up with those from the University Côte d’Azur, the Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche-sur-Mer and the Genoa Marine Center to study the future of fishing in Mediterranean against a backdrop of rising temperatures and dramatic shifts to the geographical distribution of regional species. 

Their findings, which considered a range of possible climate scenarios up to the year 2090, are now set to be published in the June edition of the Science of the Total Environment journal.  

“Certain emblematic species, such as the sea bass and the gilthead sea bream could see their catches decrease by 40% across the whole of the Mediterranean in the years to come,” reads a statement from the CSM.  

The Mediterranean region is warming 20% faster than global averages and the Sea is expected to rise in temperature by between 1.8°C and 3.5°C by 2100. This is going to have considerable knock-on effects for the region’s marine life, leading to scientists such as those from the CSM to call for a real need “to limit global warming and to develop climate change adaptation strategies for the fisheries sector”. 

Catches could decrease by 75%

This new study, which lists the CSM’s Doctor Nathalie Hilmi as a co-author, breaks down the potential “catch reduction” according to fishing techniques. For midwater or pelagic trawling and purse seine fishing, catches are expected to decrease by 20 to 75%. For fixed nets and traps, that figure is a reduction of 50 to 75%, and for bottom trawling, hauls are likely to experience a drop exceeding 75%.  

The southern and eastern Mediterranean countries will be the most affected by “significant declines”, says the study, in line with the United Nations’ Environmental Programme’s projections for warming hotspots in these zones.  

A group of key commercial demersal and pelagic fish and cephalopod species were considered in the report. Alongside the threats to Mediterranean biodiversity and its fishing industry, the Monaco-backed study also revealed important changes to the future geographical redistribution of these stocks as species head north for cooler waters. As such, catches for many of the species studied could increase in North Sea and in the North-East Atlantic. 

There may still be a future for these species elsewhere, but that does little to damp concerns for the future of fishing in the Mediterranean.   

 

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 Photo source: Krisztian Tabori for Unsplash

 

Monaco announces the creation of a Chemin des Sculptures Rainier III

by: Elsa Carpenter
22/05/2023
chemin des sculptures

In memory of art lover Prince Rainier III, a special Chemin des Sculptures bearing his name is set to open in Monaco at the end of this month. 

As of 31st May, a date that will mark the centenary of Prince Rainier III’s birth in 1923, Monaco’s Direction des Affaires Culturelles will officially open the Chemin des Sculptures Rainier III. The cross-Principality route will feature some 150 works collected by the Builder Prince throughout his lifetime, but particularly between 1987 and 2004 via the Festival International de Sculpture de Monte-Carlo.  

Prince Rainier III, the father of current sovereign Prince Albert II, was a well-known supporter of the arts and artists, and it was his long-time wish to create an outdoor museum where the public could discover and appreciate some of the sculptures he loved most.  

Amongst those set to be displayed are works by the likes of César, Arman, Fernando Botero, Jean-Michel Folon, Anish Kapoor and Giorgio de Chirico (pictured above). The story behind each piece will be made available to the public thanks to a QR code situated at the bottom of or close by the sculpture.  

A website allowing visitors to plan their route will also be launched on 31st May. Although not fully operational quite yet, the website can be found here.  

The final day of May is set to be an important one in Monaco, with vast celebrations planned to mark what would have been Prince Rainier III’s 100th birthday.

Read more:

May 31st: Prince Rainier III’s 100th birthday celebrations

 

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Photo source: Monaco Communications Department

A guide to getting to and from Monaco during the Grand Prix

by: Elsa Carpenter
22/05/2023
monaco grand prix guide

Travelling in and out of the Principality during the Monaco Grand Prix can be relatively seamless, if planned ahead. 

The Grand Prix is the biggest event of the year hosted in Monaco, closing off roads and car parks and limiting access in certain areas of the Principality. For motorsports fans and businesses in Monaco, it’s a small price to pay for welcoming such an emblematic and iconic race.  

But there are some knock-on effects for travel. Even getting into the Principality can be difficult during the event, so here’s our advice on how to achieve a smooth arrival and departure from this headline occasion. 

Flying in 

Taking just seven minutes from helipad to helipad, flying into the Principality via one of the many helicopter services available from Nice Côte d’Azur is without doubt the quickest and most stress-free way to get to the action.  

It can take as long as two hours to cover the same distance by car or taxi during the Grand Prix so swapping traffic jams for scenic views is a great option if you’ve got the cash. Single seats start at around €350, but do increase in price for the big race day on Sunday 28th May, and even more so if you choose to charter your own private flight.  

Taking public transport 

Travelling in by train or bus is the preferred option for many motorsports pilgrims.  

The train journey from Nice to Monaco takes around 20 minutes. On Sunday 28th May, trains will depart every 15 minutes for so and cost less than €5. But queues on the platforms aren’t uncommon, so make sure to give yourself plenty of time on either side to reach your destination on time.  

The last train back to Nice on the nights of Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th May is scheduled for 11.53pm: ideal if you decide to stay late in the Principality to soak up the atmosphere.  

While the bus might take longer than the train, especially given the extra vehicles and congestion on the road during the event, it is still a viable alternative to driving in yourself and struggling to find a parking space.  

There are a variety of routes available, such as the Ligne Express 80 from Nice Airport, the 602 from the Vauban bus station in Nice to the Casino in Monaco or the 607 from Nice’s Square Normandie Niemen to Place d’Armes. There’s also a night bus, the 601, which runs between Menton and Nice via the Principality. This service runs from Thursday through to Saturday, but there is unfortunately no such service on Sunday.  

Taxis and similar services

Travelling to and from Monaco via a taxi or similar ride-hailing service like Uber or Bolt is another option, but is perhaps not as straightforward as one might think.

As it stands, Monaco-registered taxis are only able to pick up passengers from within the Principality. There is no agreement in place allowing them to collect passengers from French territory. Drivers from over the border in France are permitted to collect and drop off passengers inside Monaco, but only if they have obtained an official vignette. Just 320 of these exist currently, putting the taxi and similar services system under high demand, with prices that reflect those pressures.

 

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Photo by Monaco Life