General view at sunset of the Suzanne Lenglen court on Day 6 of The Roland Garros 2020 French Open tennis tournament in Paris on October 2, 2020. (Photo by MARTIN BUREAU / AFP)
Roland Garros chiefs said Friday they fully expected the Grand Slam event to return to its traditional May-June slot this year while being able to “maximize the number” of fans.
Last year’s tournament was switched unilaterally from spring to September-October as the coronavirus sent the sport into a five-month suspension.
When the clay court showpiece was eventually staged, health protocols saw a daily limit of only 1,000 fans allowed onto the Roland Garros site.
“Our desire is to be able, in accordance with the decisions of the government and with the extremely ambitious and rigorous application of a very well-crafted health protocol, to organize Roland Garros on the dates scheduled, from May 17 to June 6 (qualifying included),” said Amelie Oudea-Castera, the French Tennis Federation’s (FFT) new director-general.
“With the highest possible number of spectators which will be allowed by the authorities.”
She added: “We are working on different scenarios. No idea is taboo, we want to achieve the best compromise between sports and health.
“The objective is to maximize the limit with regard to what the circulation of the virus and the progress of vaccinations will allow us to do.”