France: Roland-Garros, the first sports competition to celebrate the return of the public
The number of spectators inside Roland-Garros is limited to 5,388 until June 8.
© Pierre René-Worms / RFI
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
It is the first tricolor competition of the spring to celebrate the return of the public and it is a tournament which must, for the second edition in a row, deal with draconian health constraints.
But the public was happy to find the alleys of the Porte d'Auteuil for this great tennis festival.
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"
It feels good to be back
": after an autumnal 2020 edition and almost private due to the pandemic, Roland-Garros reopened its doors Sunday to thousands of spectators delighted to find the Parisian Grand Slam, before of duty, a little annoyed, to empty the premises, curfew obliges.
Porte d'Auteuil, 11:00 a.m.
On this first day of the tournament, the lines stretch as the first matches begin.
“
After two years, it's good to be back!
», Commented Max and Anita, stamping with impatience.
A situation that contrasts with the fluid traffic and the quasi-desert courts of last year, when only 1,000 spectators per day were admitted.
This year, it's not quite the Roland-Garros before, but it looks a bit more like it: the public reception gauge has been increased to 35% of maximum capacity, allowing 5,388 daily access to the site divided into 6 ERP-PA zones (establishment open to the public) until June 8. Then this figure will peak at just over 13,000, knowing that the capacity of the main courts will be limited to 1,000 and then 5,000 people. Still far from the some 38,000 people a day who flocked there in the pre-Covid era. Suffice to say that the lucky ones were at their ease around the courts.
First sensation this year with the elimination in the first round of Dominic Thiem, world n ° 4.
After leading two sets to nothing, the Austrian, double finalist of the tournament (2018, 2019), sank this Sunday against Pablo Andujar (4-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 ) and left the competition as soon as he entered the running for the first time in his career.
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