Former player Guy Forget resigns as French Open director

French Open director Guy Forget, whose contract was to expire at the end of the year, has resigned, citing communication issues with the new head of the French tennis federation.

The FFT said Tuesday that Forget's replacement at the helm of the clay-court Grand Slam tournament will be announced soon. Forget also stepped down as director of the Paris Masters.

After L'Equipe newspaper first reported the news, the federation did not give any reason for Forget's sudden departure. It thanked him for "his commitment and exemplary work, which have contributed to the influence of these two major tournaments on the international scene."

In an interview with L'Équipe published on the newspaper's website, Forget said he had received an offer to renew his contract but refused. He said divergences of views and a perceived poor dialogue with FFT president Gilles Moretton, who was elected this year, sealed his departure.

"From the beginning of Gilles' mandate, I felt that communication was not going well," Forget said. "There was never any communication with him. And clearly, I felt that there was no trust."

Forget was named in the Pandora Papers leaks this year by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists that shed light on how the rich and powerful have used offshore accounts to shield assets collectively worth trillions of dollars. The French federation ethics committee looked at the case and found no wrongdoing from Forget, saying he did not breach "values of honesty and integrity."

Forget said he did not believe that episode accentuated the rift with Moretton.

Forget had been running the tournament at Roland Garros since 2016. He was appointed Paris Masters director in 2012 after serving as France's Davis Cup and Fed Cup captain.

He was a former tennis player who achieved a career-best ranking of No. 4 in the early 1990s.

Stade Roland Garros has undergone a major facelift during Forget's tenure, with the addition of a retractable roof on Court Philippe Chatrier and the building of a stunning new court surrounded by greenhouses filled with exotic plants.

Under his leadership, the French Open also introduced night sessions this year.