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Spectatorless French Open considered

Published:Monday | May 11, 2020 | 12:19 AM
The Philippe Chatrier centre court, which stages French Open tennis games at Roland Garros Stadium in Paris, France.
File
The Philippe Chatrier centre court, which stages French Open tennis games at Roland Garros Stadium in Paris, France.

PARIS, France (AP):

THE FRENCH Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros could be held without fans later this year, the president of the Fédération Française de Tennis (French Federation of Tennis, FFT) said yesterday.

The clay-court tournament at Roland Garros was initially to be held from May 24 to June 7, but was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic and rescheduled for September 20 to October 4.

Bernard Giudicelli tells French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche that organisers are considering the prospect that it might need to go ahead without fans present. It could even start one week later.

“Organising it without fans would allow a part of the economy to keep turning, (like) television rights and partnerships. It’s not to be overlooked,” Giudicelli said in the newspaper interview yesterday. “We’re not ruling any option out.”

However, he conceded that “the lack of visibility” when hosting a tournament without fans is a concern.

Recent reports have speculated that the French Open could be rescheduled again.

“The 20th or the 27th, that does not change much,” Giudicelli said.

The FFT is refunding all tickets purchased for the original dates of Roland Garros by the end of May, and a new ticketing procedure will be opened if it goes ahead.