With the containment measures announced Monday by the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron, the hypothesis of maintaining the Parisian Grand Slam at the initial dates (May 24-June 7) seemed less and less credible, knowing that the qualifications had to , they start on May 20. "The only possible scenario was the month of September," said Bernard Giudicelli, president of the FFT. Especially since we have in the past organize Davis Cup and Fed Cup matches. With a roof over the Philippe Chatrier court, we are also better equipped to organize this tournament in the fall. We couldn't imagine a season without a big clay court tournament. Giudicelli explains, between the lines, makes it clear that the circuit could resume, at best, in early June. We have to defend our surface, our heritage. And we also had to think of the professional players, considerably affected by the successive cancellations. Due to the containment measures, we were in any case unable to finalize the last phase of work on the site. It was unthinkable to jeopardize the health of our employees, providers and suppliers. We are in an exceptional context. The weather will be good after this crisis and we will offer a magnificent spectacle to tennis fans. ”
"It is not the date that is complicated in the calendar, it is the calendar that is complicated with the dates"
Bernard GiudicelliBy postponing its tournament two months before the deadline, Roland-Garros has anticipated a 2020 calendar which will be completely turned upside down. While the ATP and WTA circuits are frozen until the end of April for the first and early May for the second, this strong decision will inevitably impact a season like no other. The US Open is scheduled to end on Sunday September 13, the date of the men's tournament final. Roland-Garros would therefore begin only seven days after the end of the New York Grand Slam ... "It is not the date which is complicated in the calendar, it is the calendar which is complicated with the dates. It was unthinkable to suppress Roland-Garros. It is a decision that belongs to us. We had in mind the interest of the tournament. It was the least penalizing fortnight. I exchanged with all the presidents of the tennis bodies, ”continues Giudicelli.
The players were not warned
Five ATP 250 tournaments and five WTA events, scheduled during this period, should therefore be unscheduled. What about Roger Federer's Laver Cup, supposed to take place during these new Roland-Garros dates. “The Laver Cup is organized in Boston. We are organizing a Grand Slam tournament. We informed the organizers of our decision. "
The players did not hide their surprise. Canada's Vasek Pospisil, who is on the players' council, expressed his dissatisfaction on Twitter: “It's crazy. A major Roland-Garros announcement that changes the dates to a week after the US Open. No communication with players or ATP… We have zero communication in this sport ”.
Last point, this postponement will have financial consequences on the tournament. "There will be impacts on broadcasters' contracts and public relations," notes Jean-François Vilotte, director general of the FFT.
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