French Open could be behind closed doors, says FFT boss

PARIS, France – French tennis chief Bernard Guidicelli admitted Sunday that Roland Garros, already controversially pushed back four months due to the coronavirus, could be staged behind closed doors.

(FILES) In this file photo taken on June 8, 2018 Spectators watch Spain’s Rafael Nadal (TOP) as he plays Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro during their men’s singles semi-final match on day thirteen of The Roland Garros 2018 French Open tennis tournament in Paris. – Roland-Garros, was postponed from the spring 2020 to the autumn 2020 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Because the COVID-19 is a source of “uncertainty for all events bringing together audiences all over the world”, the the Federation French tennis (FFT) announced on May 7, 2020 that “all tickets already purchased” for the French Open tennis tournament will be refund. (Photo by CHRISTOPHE SIMON / AFP)

Guidicelli, who said that the French federation (FFT) had “no regrets” over its unilateral decision to move the clay court Grand Slam from May 24-June 7 to September 20-October 4, insisted all options remain on the table.

“We haven’t ruled out any option. Roland Garros is first and foremost a story of matches and players,” he told the Journal du Dimanche.

“There is the tournament taking place in the stadium, and the tournament on TV screens.

“Millions of viewers around the world are waiting. Organising it behind closed doors would allow part of the business model — television rights (which account for more than a third of the tournament’s revenues) — to go ahead. This cannot be overlooked.”

The spread of the coronavirus has halted all tennis since mid-March and will not resume until July 13 at the earliest.

Wimbledon has already been cancelled for the first time since the Second World War.

The US Open, due to take place in New York from Aug 31-Sept 13, is also in question with a decision expected in mid-June.

Close to 500,000 fans regularly attend Roland Garros every year.

However, an indication as to the thinking around the 2020 edition came on Thursday when the FFT decided to reimburse all tickets bought for the original date of the tournament rather than transfer them.

Guidicelli admitted that the start of the rescheduled French Open could even be pushed back a further week to begin on September 27.

That would allow a two-week break between the US Open and Roland Garros.

“I have regular discussions with Andrea Gaudenzi (president of the ATP), Steve Simon (president of the WTA) and David Haggerty (head of the ITF) and another call is planned next week to see how we have progressed.

“We are working well together, but it is still a bit early to precisely determine the schedule.”

Guidicelli is adamant that the FFT was right to shift the tournament back by four months with the death toll from the coronavirus in France standing at 26,310 by Saturday night.

“Roland Garros is the driving force of tennis in France, it is what feeds the players in our ecosystem (260 million euros in revenue, or 80% of the turnover of the FFT),” added Guidicelli, describing himself as the “good father”.

“We think of them first, protecting them. We made a courageous choice and today, no one regrets it.”

“A tournament without a date is a boat without a rudder — we don’t know where we’re going.

“We positioned ourselves as far in the calendar as possible, anxious not to harm major events, so that no Masters 1000 or any Grand Slam would be affected. The turn of events seems to have proved us right.”

GSG