The French Open shared new dates for the 2020 edition
The 2020 French Open will be postponed to September amidst fears of the coronavirus.
This event was to be held from May 24 to June 7 but will now be conducted from September 20 to October 4.
The organisers of the event came up with an official statement that read:
“The current confinement measures have made it impossible for us to continue with the dates originally planned.”
The ATP had announced a six-week suspension of all games due to the coronavirus pandemic. The WTA, meanwhile, had postponed all games at least until May 2.
The current confinement measures have made it impossible for us to continue with the dates originally planned. More informations : https://t.co/PEITQaR6j5#RolandGarros
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) March 17, 2020
Anger and confusion all around
However, the tournament’s sudden decision to postpone the dates in the wake of virus outbreak have not been received with much welcome.
The surprise announcement has drawn a lot of criticism as it clashes with the dates of many other events such as the US Open, Laver Cup among many others.
The French Open which is usually the second Grand Slam tournament of the year will now be the final Major event of the year.
Laver Cup, already sold out months in advance, speaks out about the French Open's aggression today (though not as pointedly as US Open did). https://t.co/2qVryUPLRP
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) March 18, 2020
The coronavirus has also affected several sports leagues across the world. The NBA, Premier League and a host of others have suspended games for now.
Also, with uncertainty still looming large as to when all this would come to halt, the French Open’s decision has received a lot of stick from other tournaments.
Meanwhile, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) on Tuesday announced that the US Open will go as planned from August 24.
They also took a sly dig at French Open by putting up a statement issuing their dissatisfaction at the postponement of dates by the French authorities.
An update on the 2020 US Open. pic.twitter.com/YfhnsKdvBD
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) March 17, 2020
The Laver Cup which is scheduled to be held between September 25-27, also came up with a statement after being left blindsided by the sudden decision made by clay-court event organisers.
The ATP, WTA and ITF are yet to comment on the issue.
Players react to the surprising decision
The unexpected decision by the French Open officials have not just surprised other tournament organiser’s but the players also.
Many were quick to respond due to the lack of communication between ITF, tours and its competitors.
excusez moi??? https://t.co/kb5wi27dRc
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) March 17, 2020
Players such as Naomi Osaka, Diego Schwartzman reacted on Twitter at the French Open’s surprising news. While Vasek Pospisil, a member of the ATP players council did not take it lightly at all.
The tweet read, “This is madness. Major announcement by Roland Garros changing the dates to one week after the US Open. No communication with the players or the ATP… we have ZERO say in this sport. It’s time. #UniteThePlayers,”
However, this has since been removed and is not available on Twitter.
Una vez más… nos enteramos por Twitter. 🤦♂️🤷♂️ @atptour https://t.co/owFqHTXDu3
— diego schwartzman (@dieschwartzman) March 17, 2020
One thing for sure is that the French Open’s decision will have serious repercussions in the coming days. However, it remains to be seen what the future holds with the virus outbreak still on large.
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