Alizé Cornet at the last Roland-Garros, October 1, 2020. -

CHRISTOPHE SAIDI / SIPA

This time, no postponement to the fall as in 2020, but still a shift of one week: the 2021 edition of Roland-Garros, initially scheduled from May 23 to June 6, will open a week later than planned.

The Parisian Grand Slam would take place from May 30 to June 13, according to a source close to the organization, confirming information from the newspaper

L'Équipe

.

An adjustment that could possibly make it possible to accommodate a larger number of spectators, in the event that the health restrictions linked to the Covid-19 pandemic would be relaxed by then.

The Ministry of Sports had indicated Tuesday that discussions were "in progress", both on "a delay of a few days" and "on the terms (relating) in particular to the reception of the public".

What gauge this year?

A week ago, Gilles Moretton, the new president of the French Tennis Federation (FFT), organizer of the tournament, told AFP to study “the almost total range” of options for the upcoming edition, two exceptions.

"I dare not imagine" the outright cancellation, or "a 100% gauge," he said.

In 2020, in the midst of the first wave of coronavirus, the FFT, then led by Bernard Giudicelli, decided to everyone's surprise to postpone Roland-Garros from late spring to early fall.

An unprecedented migration, which however did not prevent Rafael Nadal from triumphing for the thirteenth time on Parisian clay.

1,000 spectators per day in 2020

Finally organized straddling September and October, the tournament had been overtaken by the reality of the Covid-19, until the last minute: its audience level had gradually reduced like sorrow, from 11,500 maximum daily spectators to 5,000. , then only 1,000 a day.

Beyond Roland-Garros, the world tennis calendar has been largely turned upside down since the pandemic took hold.

After last year's cancellations, schedule shifts have been piling up since January, for example with the Australian Open.

Cornet gets loose

With this slight delay, Roland will encroach on the start of the grass season, scheduled for June 7 with the tournaments in Stuttgart (Germany), s'Hertogenbosch (Netherlands) and Nottingham (Great Britain).

This angered Alizé Cornet, questioned on Wednesday after his victorious 2nd round in Charleston.

“It's a pretty selfish decision, judged the Frenchwoman at the microphone of the Tennis Channel.

The schedule will suffer.

I understand that these are not easy times for the tournament, but you have to think about the players and the schedule, especially all the tournaments involved.

"

The 57th player in the world then let loose against the Minister for Sports, Roxana Maracineanu.

“It stays between us, but our Minister of Sports is a calamity.

I have nothing against her, but she only makes bad decisions.

It's as if she didn't care… ”So, saying that on TV, it's going to be complicated, Alizé.

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