The bad news is the 2020 French Open has been postponed. The good news, however, is it will potentially be played this year with the authorities having decided to play it in September.
With the coronavirus outbreak having forced both, the ATP and WTA tours to be suspended and with the situation in Europe having worsened to a large extent, major sports events have been getting postponed regularly. The French Open was supposed to be played in the third week of May (May 18-June 7) but it will now be pushed to after the US Open.
With the US Open finishing on September 13, the French Open is expected to begin from a week after that. The event at Roland-Garros will go on from September 20 to October 4.
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According to a press release by the French Open organiers, the situation brought about by the outbreak of the coronavirus had made it “impossible for us to continue with the dates originally planned.”
The release also said:
“The whole world is affected by the public health crisis connected with COVID-19. In order to ensure the health and safety of everyone involved in organising the tournament, the French Tennis Federation has made the decision to hold the 2020 edition of Roland-Garros from 20th September to 4th October 2020.”
While the original schedule of May 18 was still over two months away, the issues faced by the French Open authorities were magnified because of the quarantining measures now adopted by many countries all over the world. It had made it a lot tougher for the organiers to continue with their preparation for the French Open.
The statement read:
“This decision was made in the interest of both the community of professional tennis players, whose 2020 season has already been compromised, and of the many fans of tennis and Roland-Garros.”
The President of FFT, Bernard Giudicelli, also said:
“We have made a difficult yet brave decision in this UNPRECEDENTED situation, which has evolved greatly since last weekend. We are acting responsibly, and must work together in the fight to ensure everybody’s health and safety.”
Fans who have already bought their French Open tickets can either exchange it for the tournament tickets in September or can ask for a refund. More details on the same will be released at a later date.
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