French Open could be cancelled if lockdown measures remain

The president of the French Tennis Federation has admitted the French Open could be cancelled this year.

French Tennis Federation boss Gilles Moretton says several options are in play

The president of the French Tennis Federation has admitted the French Open could be cancelled this year if widespread lockdown measures are still in place at the end of May.

Gilles Moretton is reluctant to acknowledge that the second grand-slam event of the year may not go ahead, but new restrictions announced this week by French president Emmanuel Macron have forced him to concede the possibility of it being cancelled if the health situation in Paris has not improved by the starting date of May 24.

“At the moment, we are on track, the tournament is on the scheduled dates,” Moretton said. “But if we are told there is a general confinement for two months, we will necessarily have to take measures, the worst being the outright cancellation. But I dare not imagine that.”

Moretton is certain that there will not be a full capacity crowd of 40,000 a day at Roland Garros. Various scenarios are being planned for, including a closed-doors event. Last year’s edition took place in September with a limit of 1000 spectators a day.

“We are studying a lot of options for Roland Garros 2021 because I dare not imagine a 100 per cent crowd level,” Moretton said. “But that (the options) can start from behind closed doors to a level that will not be 100 per cent. We meet all the players regularly and we wait to see how things will turn out.”

Should the tournament take place, players will not be required to quarantine for two weeks inside their hotel room, as was the case at the Australian Open in February. More likely is a biosecure bubble that will allow players to train as much as they want as long as they stay within the confines of the tournament site, accommodation buildings and the transport in between.

“Before us, there are other tournaments like Monte Carlo, which takes place on the same territory and which is outdoors,” Moretton said. “After us there are tournaments not too far away (in Madrid and Rome), so we are not like the situation in Australia.”

Meanwhile, the ATP Monte Carlo Masters is set to allow more freedoms for players who have been fully vaccinated. Competitors who have received two doses of the AstraZeneca, Pfizer or Moderna jabs will be allowed to access the venue for practice immediately after an initial COVID-19 test, while others will be required to remain inside their hotel rooms until a negative result is received. The move comes after several players expressed reservations in Miami this week about receiving the vaccine.

THE TIMES