Roland-Garros behind closed doors? "It is better to cancel" says Leconte

Henri Leconte, finalist of Roland-Garros in 1988, estimated Wednesday that it was better to "cancel" the Grand Slam tournament, postponed to September because of coronavirus, than to compete in camera, a scenario envisaged by the Federation French tennis.

»READ ALSO -  Roland-Garros thinks more behind closed doors than ever

“I think that doing Roland-Garros behind closed doors is pointless. An interest for whom? For the partners, certainly not, ”affirmed on the L'Equipe channel . the former French champion, winner of the doubles event in 1984 with Yannick Noah.

"It is better to cancel and leave for 2021"

Henri Leconte in the stands of Roland-Garros in 2018

“For the players, it's going to be difficult to manage. It is above all a political decision, the Federation hopes that in a few months, we will perhaps be able to play (under normal conditions) Roland-Garros (...) But to play it behind closed doors, no. For me it is better to cancel and leave for 2021 with a real season, ”he continued.

In a recent interview with the Journal du dimanche (JDD), the president of the FFT, Bernard Giudicelli, did not rule out that Roland-Garros, postponed to September 20 due to the pandemic, could take place behind closed doors. “We don't rule out any options. It would be lost in conjecture to favor one as the lack of visibility is real, "said Giudicelli.

“But organizing it behind closed doors would allow part of the economic model, television rights and partnership to run. This should not be overlooked, “analyzed the French tennis boss.

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Roland-Garros thinks more behind closed doors than ever