Paris (AFP)
Former player Gilles Moretton, finalist of the 1982 Davis Cup, formalized his candidacy for the presidency of the French Tennis Federation (FFT) at the end of the year on Friday, advancing his desire to "put democracy at the heart of its operation".
Aged 61 and president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes league since 2018, Moretton will challenge on the electoral field on December 12, 2020 the current president Bernard Giudicelli, whose mandate is heckled in particular due to his strong support for the reform of the Davis Cup and that he has already beaten in the judicial field.
The former 65th world player wants to "fundamentally review the governance (of the FFT) in order to guarantee the return to transparency and the debate of ideas", and "give the floor to clubs" in particular "in major decisions involving the future of tennis. "
It also provides for a "deep reflection on the global model of Roland-Garros in order to optimize the filling of its stands during the tournament, access to tickets, the television exhibition". From 2021, the evening matches and those played on the Simonne-Mathieu court will be broadcast on the Amazon paid internet platform under a new contract negotiated by the FFT last summer.
Gilles Moretton won in 2017 a defamation lawsuit against Bernard Giudicelli who had implicated him in a traffic in Roland-Garros tickets dating back to 2011.
His candidacy for the head of the FFT is supported by the association Ensemble pour un autre tennis, founded last June by presidents of Leagues, departmental committees and clubs as well as sports personalities like Arnaud Clément, member then captain of the French Davis Cup team.
© 2020 AFP