● One-week gap draws criticism ● Wimbledon is now next major
The French Open has been postponed for about four months from May to September because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The French tennis federation revealed yesterday that its 15-day clay-court event at Roland Garros in Paris will be held from 20 September to 4 October “to ensure the health and safety of everyone involved in organising the tournament”.
The federation’s president Bernard Giudicelli described it as “a difficult yet brave decision in this unprecedented situation.”
It is the first instance of a Grand Slam tennis tournament being affected by the virus which has spread around the world.
With the postponement, the next major tennis championship on the calendar is Wimbledon, which is due to start in late June in London.
Wimbledon organisers said yesterday that they are “continuing to plan” for the tournament, which is scheduled to run from 29 June to 12 July but acknowledged that it remains “a continuously evolving situation”.
Richard Lewis, chief executive of the All England Lawn Tennisandcroquetclub,said: “At the heart of our decisionmaking is our commitment to the health and safety of our members, staff, and the public, and we are grateful to the government and public health authorities for their advice and support.
“While we continue to plan for The Championships, it remains a continuously evolving situation and we will act responsibly, in the best interests of wider society. We thank all of our members, staff, players, partners, contractors and the public for their patience and trust as we continue to navigate this unprecedented global challenge.”
The French Open’s new dates put it immediately after the hard-court US Open – currently scheduled to be held in New York from 31 August to 13 September.
Having just one week between two major championships, played on different surfaces, would be unusually short.
The new timeline for the French Open also conflicts with several WTA and ATP hard-court tournaments already slated for those two weeks, as well as the Laver Cup exhibition event in Boston.
“This is madness,” tweeted Canadian pro Vasek Pospisil. “Major announcement by Roland Garros changing the dates to one week after the US Open. No communication with the players or the ATP.. we have ZERO say in this sport. It’s time. (hash)unitetheplayers”