French Open postponed; U.S. Open next?
The French Open was postponed for about four months because of the coronavirus pandemic, shifting from May to September and juggling the tennis calendar.
The French tennis federation said Tuesday it will hold its 15-day clay-court event at Roland Garros in Paris from Sept. 20 to Oct. 4, instead of May 24 to June 7, “to ensure the health and safety of everyone involved in organizing the tournament.”
In the statement announcing the move, federation president Bernard Giudicelli described it as “a difficult yet brave decision in this unprecedented situation.” Later, in a conference call with reporters, Giudicelli acknowledged the other Grand Slam tournaments and the men’s and women’s professional tours were informed of the change — but not consulted.
“It’s unthinkable for us to remove Roland Garros from the calendar. The only thing we had in mind is the interests of the tournament, of the players,” Giudicelli said. “We looked at the fortnight that was least damaging for the other (tournaments).”
The French Open’s new dates place it right after the hard-court U.S. Open, which currently is scheduled to be held from Aug. 31 to Sept. 13 in New York. Having just one week between two major championships, played on different surfaces, would be unusually short.
The U.S. Tennis Association said later Tuesday it is considering “the possibility” of postponing the U.S. Open because of the outbreak.
In a not-so-veiled jab at the French federation, the USTA issued a statement saying that if there were a change in timing, “we recognize that such a decision should not be made unilaterally.”
The USTA added that it would only move its major championship “in full consultation” with others, including Grand Slam organizers, the WTA and ATP tours and the International Tennis Federation.
This is the first instance of a Grand Slam tournament being affected by the virus that has spread around the world. The next major tennis championship on the calendar is Wimbledon, which is to start in late June in England.
After the French Open’s postponement was announced, Richard Lewis, the chief executive of the All England Club, which runs Wimbledon, said his group was continuing to plan for that tournament “at this time.”
He added: “It remains a continuously evolving situation and we will act responsibly, in the best interests of wider society.” In other sports:
• Local golf: The U.S. Women’s Open, scheduled for June 3-7, at Champions Golf Club is still on the USGA calendar, but the annual seniors event at The Woodlands has been canceled. The PGA Tour announced that all of its events on its six tours are canceled through May 10. The Insperity Invitational was scheduled for April 27 to May 3. As far as the U.S. Women’s Open, the USGA said that event along with the men’s U.S. Open were still scheduled. The organization said some qualifying events leading up to the two national championships would be canceled and the process adjusted.
• Other golf: The PGA of America decided to postpone the PGA Championship, the second major of the year, which was set for May 14-17 at Harding Park in San Francisco. This comes after Augusta National announced Friday that the Masters, scheduled for April 9-12, also would be played at a later day.
• Horse racing: The Kentucky Derby was postponed until September. The Derby, America’s longest continuously held sports event, had been scheduled for May 2. It will now be run Sept. 5, kicking off Labor Day weekend. It’s the first time the Derby won’t be held on its traditional first Saturday in May since 1945, when it was run June 9. The date change still must be approved by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission at its meeting Thursday. Still to be decided are the dates of the next two legs of horse racing’s showcase series — the Preakness and Belmont.
• NHL: An unidentified NHL player has tested positive. The Ottawa Senators announced late Tuesday night one of their players has tested positive for COVID-19, has mild symptoms and is in isolation. Ottawa is notifying those who came in contact with the player.
• MLB: A second New York Yankees minor leaguer has tested positive for the new coronavirus. The player, while in self-quarantine in Tampa, Fla., reported fatigue and an elevated temperature to medical personnel with the Yankees, according to the team. The player was tested Sunday and returned to self-quarantine after the positive result. New York had announced a first positive test on Sunday. The two Yankees minor leaguers are the only baseball players known to have tested positive.
• NASCAR: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch and other NASCAR drivers have signed on to race in an exhibition esports series while their cars are kept off the tracks amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. NASCAR and iRacing announced the formation of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series, trying to give fans alternative viewing with the NASCAR season on hold until at least May 3. The multi-week series will start Sunday with a virtual competition at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• Colleges: The Southeastern Conference has canceled sporting events for the rest of the season. The events had been suspended. The league became the last of the Power Five conferences to cancel all competition. The decision includes championships, spring football games and pro day workouts for NFL teams run by SEC schools. Team and individual practices and meetings remain suspended through at least April 15. Earlier Tuesday, the Atlantic Coast Conference canceled all spring competition, plus all athleticrelated activities, including practices.