Milan (AFP)
After several weeks of tension, ATP boss Andrea Gaudenzi said Thursday that there would ultimately be no sanctions against Roland Garros after the unilateral decision of its organizers to postpone the tournament in September in because of the new coronavirus epidemic.
"Tennis needs unity, Paris acted out of fear, they made a mistake. But they recognized it," said Gaudenzi in an interview with several Italian media.
"I have spoken with all the members of the players' council (...) and all agree with the philosophy of being able to play the most important tournaments. So, even if this is only theoretical, it is justified that Roland-Garros can be held in September, "said the manager in particular to Ubi Tennis.
"We are all in the same boat, there is no room for controversy. Now we are working together," he added to Gazzetta Dello Sport.
In mid-March, the surprise and unilateral decision of the FFT, organizer of Roland-Garros, to postpone until the fall (September 20 - October 4) the second Grand Slam tournament of the season, initially scheduled from May 24 to June 7, was very badly experienced by the tennis world.
The Canadian Vasek Pospisil, member of the players' council had denounced in the Team in particular "an irresponsible and selfish decision", asking the tennis authorities to consider sanctions against the French Open.
In a joint press release, ATP and ITF also expressed their dissatisfaction.
"The challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic for professional tennis requires greater collaboration than ever within the tennis community so that the sport can advance collectively in the best interest of players, tournaments and fans", they had explained.
© 2020 AFP