Organisers mentioned strict confinement measures imposed by the French authorities to sort out COVID-19 had made it not possible to proceed with preparations. PHOTO: AFP
PARIS: The worldwide tennis calendar has been thrown into additional chaos after the choice by French Open organisers to postpone the Grand Slam, with gamers and rival tournaments essential of the apparently unilateral transfer.
The occasion at Roland Garros, historically the second main of the season, was on Tuesday moved from a Might 24 begin date to September 20, which means it will begin only one week after the US Open, if that occasion stays in its unique slot.
Organisers mentioned strict confinement measures imposed by the French authorities to sort out COVID-19 had made it not possible to proceed with preparations.
French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli mentioned: “We have made a difficult yet brave decision in this unprecedented situation, which has evolved greatly since last weekend.”
Organisers of the Grand Slam in New York acknowledged it’d must be moved however, in a scarcely veiled dig on the French Open organisers, mentioned they might not go it alone.
The rescheduled French Open would additionally conflict with the beginning of a collection of Asian tournaments and the Laver Cup crew competitors, because of happen in Boston from September 25 to 27.
On Wednesday the suspension to the boys’s ATP tour and the ladies’s WTA tour have been each prolonged to June 7, wiping out the European clay court docket season. The grass court docket season remains to be in place.
Occasions affected by the shut down embrace the mixed ATP/WTA tournaments in Madrid and Rome, the WTA occasions in Strasbourg and Rabat and ATP occasions in Munich, Estoril, Geneva and Lyon.
In one other barb fired at Roland-Garros organisers, each excursions and the Worldwide Tennis Federation mentioned the pandemic calls for “greater collaboration than ever from everyone in the tennis community in order for the sport to move forward collectively in the best interest of players, tournaments and fans”.
– ‘Selfish’ choices –
British doubles participant Jamie Murray queried the obvious lack of coordination on the prime of the sport.
“Strong Move by French Open/FFT to move to end of Sept,” he tweeted. “I thought the powers that be in tennis were supposed to be all about working together these days?”
Canada’s Vasek Pospisil, a member of the ATP participant council, was strongly essential of the unilateral means the French Open was postponed.
“This is such a difficult time,” he tweeted. “Everyone seems to be being impacted by this disaster.
“Enhancing communication & working together to find solutions should be the priority. Not going Rogue & making selfish/arrogant decisions to further impact the tour in a negative way. #RolandGarros.”
It additionally caught WTA chief Steve Simon unexpectedly, in addition to former US and Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka.
“Excusez moi???” tweeted Osaka, whereas Romania’s Sorana Cirstea took challenge with the strategy of communication. “What??? Again finding out through twitter…” she wrote.
The revised dates will depart gamers contesting a clay-court Grand Slam in the course of the standard hard-court season, with restricted alternatives to regulate to the slower floor.
Roland Garros can even now conflict with various tournaments, together with the Laver Cup, the competitors promoted by Roger Federer’s administration firm Team8, contested between Europe and a Remainder of the World crew.
