Some residents stroll along a deserted Boulevard d'Auteuil. Around the main entrance of Roland-Garros, there have never been so many free places to park. No barriers, no police, no control, no audience. And above all, no tournament.
The 129th edition of the Internationaux de France should have opened this Sunday morning. With Nadal looking for a thirteenth coronation, more than two thousand employees and forty-five thousand spectators. Covid-19 requires, only a handful of workers will push the gates to come forward with the modernization of the site and enjoy the song of birds.
At a time when we usually focus on the last touch-ups of paint and the installation of flower boxes, the enclosure of western Paris is still only a building site. To enter it, the official orange helmet-mask-chasuble outfit is required.
"In absolute terms, we could not have been ready," explains Jean-François Vilotte, director general of the French Tennis Federation (FFT). This is why we decided to postpone from the start of confinement (Editor's note: March 17) when we were unable to predict the state of health in late May, early June. Such an event is prepared well in advance. "
The inauguration of the roof was planned for this Saturday
For two months, the work continued slowly, with staff divided by ten, ensuring compliance with protection protocols. They have resumed for a few days in a slightly more sustained manner so that the stadium is ready at the latest in mid-August, for a competition scheduled from September 20 or 27, according to the future calendar of this singular tennis season subject the evolution of the pandemic.
"What required the most time was the layout of the interior spaces of the Philippe-Chatrier court, the places of hospitality, the new press center," continues Jean-François Vilotte. The roof had already been fully installed, the engines were running and there were only tests and adjustments left. »Verifications carried out by the engineers of the transalpine company Cimolai (in charge of the structure), placed in the fortnight upon their arrival from Italy.
The retractable roof, the real keystone of the project, now covers with its majestic wings of 105 meters and 330 tonnes (one fixed and ten mobile) the 15,000 seats of the Central, where all the light wooden seats are still covered with tarpaulins protective gray. Despite the light that passes through the textile fabric and gives an impression of lightness, a strange feeling of "confinement" seizes the visitor, accustomed to seeing the stands soar in the sky of the capital.
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After years of waiting linked to countless appeals, the whole thing looks great. The grand opening, which was to take place this Saturday, has already been postponed to May 2021. By then, he will surely have done great service to the premises of autumn, where eight courts will be lit to allow the parties to go to a late term.
Prepare for all options, including in camera
Beyond the lifting equipment and rubble scattered on the large esplanade which sheltered the court n ° 1 and the Place des Mousquetaires, there are also… players at Roland-Garros. In the area between the Suzanne-Lenglen and the Princes' Fund, the clay courts No. 10 to 14 are operational. Lucas Pouille or Quentin Halys trained there, taking all the usual precautions.
Like all professional athletes authorized to resume an activity, @la_pouille and @QuentinHalys were able to train yesterday on Court 14 of @rolandgarros. 👇
📸 Christophe Guibbaud / FFT pic.twitter.com/3atwIZdDeO
“Roland-Garros comes back to life, smiles the DG, we hear the sound of the bullets respecting the barrier gestures. »A little music bringing hope but without guarantee on its future volume. "It would be presumptuous to be a prognosticator of the state of health to say that Roland-Garros will take place," notes Vilotte. But there is no doubt that we will be able to organize the tournament depending on the situation. We do a job on each scenario by adjusting progressively with the public authorities, health authorities, foreign affairs, the interministerial delegation to major sporting events ... We must prepare all the options (Editor's note: in camera, adapted gauge, etc.) before summer and refine them during, knowing that we will not have certainties until the end. Our state of mind is to optimize all chances. "
