Listening to Bernard Giudicelli, it's a season that doesn't just exist "In the north of America" but also very close to the Porte d'Auteuil in Paris. Tuesday evening, the president of the French Tennis Federation (FFT) justified – in part – for climatic reasons the choice to shift Roland-Garros from its historic date (from the end of May to the beginning of June) to September 20 until 4 October due to Covid-19.
"At that time, it will be Indian summer. We will have additional advantages with the roof on the Philippe-Chatrier court and lighting on the other three main courts. We already organized Davis Cup matches at the end of September, the temperatures are mild ”, advanced the leader.
The #RolandGarros tournament will be played from September 20 to October 4, 2020 https://t.co/oNMMAlvfRF
In North America, precisely, the French decision is already causing some gnashing of teeth and announces tough discussions about the schedule between the various tournaments.
Warned more than consulted by Mr. Giudicelli, the American Tennis Federation (USTA), organizer of the US Open (which will end a week before the launch of the Roland-Garros fall), "Do not envisage at this moment a change in programming", but said in a statement "Consider all options, including the possibility of postponing the tournament to a later date".
Between the lines, the press release shows the annoyance of the leaders of the USTA about the (fast) French decision, which, de facto, deprives them of a certain margin of maneuver if they also had to push back the US Open due coronavirus.
"At a time when the world is united, we believe that such a decision cannot be taken unilaterally. As a result, the USTA would only take it after full consultation with other Grand Slam tournaments, the WTA and ATP, the ITF and our partners, including the Laver Cup. "
By mentioning the Laver Cup, the USTA may already be looking for a possible ally. Worn and organized by Roger Federer since 2018, this team competition (pitting Europe against the rest of the world) is somewhat of the fifth child of Switzerland. Planned in Boston in the wake of the US Open, the 2020 edition occupies the date of the first week of the new Roland-Garros.
Tournament director Guy Forget called the Laver Cup director Tony Godsick (also Federer's agent) on Tuesday. "We informed him of our decision, but we did not consult him", admits, however, the president of the FFT.
"I'm here, I'm staying there," was the message delivered in essence by the Laver Cup organization in a statement released on Wednesday. “This announcement is a surprise for us and our partners. At this moment, we want to let our fans, sponsors, broadcasters, staff, volunteers, players and the city of Boston know that we intend to keep the Laver Cup 2020 on schedule. "
Lack of communication with players
In his desire to save Roland-Garros and "Clay tennis this season", would the FFT be exposed to the risk of seeing some choose the "Federer Cup" rather than its Parisian tournament? “The Laver Cup is good for tennis. But if some strong players prefer to play the Laver Cup at Roland, this is the beginning of the end ", admit the French Jérémy Chardy (59e world player) in the columns of The team.
But tennis remains a sport organized around the players' unions (ATP and WTA), and these actors and actresses do not appreciate when you forget to consult them. On Twitter, the Canadian Vasek Pospisil quickly got into the net, as he used to on the pitch, and as a member of the players' council.
" It is an irresponsible and selfish decision. (…) The world is in a catastrophic state, everyone is impacted in a very bad way and, in my opinion, in such an era, it would be more important that there be more communication and solidarity "he said on Tuesday, the barely known FFT announcement. "Find me a player who knew this decision", posted, for its part, the winner of the 2015 edition, the Swiss Stan Wawrinka. "Nice to learn it on Twitter", reacted the Frenchwoman Alizé Cornet.
Securing the best date against Wimbledon?
If this lack of concertation surprised the main players in tennis, it shows that the Grand Slams have the schedule as they please. In 2015, the All-England Club decided to shift Wimbledon by one week compared to Roland Garros, without really probing the FFT.
With this (very) quick decision, did the latter seek to cut the grass under the foot of the British major, still scheduled from June 29 to July 13, but equally threatened with a postponement? Indeed, it’s hard to imagine a Wimbledon organized after mid-October, or else you would have to implore all the weather gods.
For now, the All-England Club says " actively monitor and respond to the coronavirus situation, working closely with government and relevant health authorities ".
Asked what may look like the best date preemption, Bernard Giudicelli kicked in. "I have no information on the choice of Wimbledon. For our part, we are making an exceptional choice … Our mission is to organize one of the four major tournaments. We believe the impact on other tournaments is less on this date. " This remains to be proven.
The Moselle Open accepts its fate
Organized in Metz, the Moselle Open is the collateral victim of the change of date of Roland-Garros. Indeed, the tournament was to be played from September 21 to 27, which now corresponds to the first week of the Paris tournament. But, unlike the Laver Cup, its director, former player Julien Boutter, graciously accepts "Leave your date".
"Bernard Giudicelli, the president of the Federation, called me in person to notify me of this decision. He took the opportunity to give all his support to our tournament and to tell me that the Federation did not let us down, explains Mr. Boutter, questioned by The Lorraine Republican. For me, there is no debate. Roland-Garros, when we see the impact of this tournament on clubs across France, fans around the world, it is incomparable with any other event that we organize in France. "
The French Tennis Federation (FFT) has already announced its support for this AT 250 tournament organized since 2003. Julien Boutter has not given up on the 2020 edition and is counting on a possible extension of the calendar until December. "Why not shift the Masters, which usually ends the year from November to December, to rewrite three or four weeks of tournaments and allow us to play anyway? These are things that we will think about ", he asks.
