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Paris (AFP)
Roland Garros begins on Sunday in Paris, cold and humid, still in the grip of the coronavirus, from which the organizers hoped they could escape by unilaterally delaying the Grand Slam on clay for four months.
Opening day will see 2018 champion Simona Halep begin her career for a third major, while Venus Williams, 40, kicks off her 23rd French Open.
Andy Murray faces fellow three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka in the day’s tie in a rematch of their epic 2017 semi-final matchup.
However, it will be a hauntingly unknown tournament, even for defending champion Rafael Nadal, who is chasing a 13th title in Paris, and 2016 winner and world number one Novak Djokovic, as well as Serena Williams, who is chasing an elusive 24th. major.
A resurgence of Covid-19 cases means that only 1,000 spectators will be allowed on the grounds each day.
In 2019, more than 500,000 people watched the two-week tournament at the venue.
Organizers had hoped to welcome 20,000 fans a day, but in the space of a few weeks, that number quickly dropped to 11,500, then 5,000 before the French government cut it down to a maximum of 1,000.
– ‘Millions in smoke’ –
“Tens of millions of euros are gone,” said French Tennis Federation (FFT) marketing director Stephane Morel, lamenting the loss of ticket revenue.
Players, meanwhile, have been limited to two tournament hotels with strict restrictions on their movements.
It is in hotels that they are tested for Covid-19, a source of controversy and recrimination in hoarding.
Last weekend, five players who were supposed to participate in the men’s qualification were withdrawn.
Two had tested positive, while three others had been in contact with coach Petar Popovic, who also tested positive.
Popovic told L’Equipe it was a “scandal” and if “(Rafael) Nadal had been in our place, he would have been entitled to a second or third test.”
On Friday, Spanish veteran Fernando Verdasco said he was “outraged and frustrated” after being retired following a failed Covid-19 test that he said was among a steady stream of negative results.
Verdasco said he should have been allowed a second test.
Within the grounds of Roland Garros, located in the prosperous western district of Paris, there are more indications of the effect of the pandemic.
Normally bustling shops, food outlets and other commercial stalls have been closed.
Everyone in the tournament, including the players if they are not in action or practice, are masked. Hand sanitizers dot the site.
Instead of the early summer sun usually associated with the tournament on its traditional May-June schedule, players will shake at 16 degrees (60F) on Sunday with rain and strong winds forecast for the first week.
That should mean overtime for the new retractable roof over the Court Philippe Chatrier masterpiece.
On Sunday on the pitch, Halep, the top seed in the absence of world number one Ashleigh Barty, who chose not to defend her title for health reasons, faces Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo, ranked 70. .
Wimbledon champion Halep is the favorite, especially with US Open champion Naomi Osaka absent due to injury.
Murray, a former world number one, takes on 2015 champion Wawrinka in his first Paris appearance in three years.
– Venus at 40 –
In 2017, the Swiss prevailed in a five-set semi-final, a match so grueling that he contributed to Murray’s long battle with a hip injury that brought him to the brink of retirement.
The day after Sister Serena celebrated her 39th birthday, 40-year-old Venus Williams, who debuted in Paris in 1997, faces off against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova from Slovakia.
Nadal, who is looking to win a 13th Roland Garros and catch up with the absent Roger Federer in a record 20 majors, plays Monday.
However, the 34-year-old Spanish star says this year’s tournament will be “the most difficult of all.”
He has also complained about the use of the new Wilson ball, claiming that it is too heavy and potentially dangerous.
Nadal starts against Egor Gerasimov, the 83rd-ranked Belarusian.
Djokovic, who is chasing an 18 major, will start Tuesday with a 2020 record of 31 wins and just one loss due to his breach of the US Open when he stole a ball in frustration and hit a linesman.
“I’ll make sure I don’t make the same mistake twice,” said the 33-year-old Serbian who faces Swede Mikael Ymer in the first round.
© 2020 AFP
