This year the French Open is set to go ahead with 20,000 spectators admitted through the gates each day. This could be one of the very few events this year which will have a live audience after the English Premier League as well as the NBA had decided to play all matches behind close doors. The Grand Slam which normally takes place in May is set to begin on September 27 in Paris.
The French Tennis Federation (FTF) has come out and said that they have implemented a number of measures to make sure that they operate at a 50-60% capacity. The Federation has decided that there will be one seat left spare between each group of fans on each of the main courts (Philippe-Chatrier, Suzanne-Lenglen and Simonne-Mathieu) and group numbers will be capped at 4. On the outside courts, there will be every other seat left spare, with patrons allowed to sit in any of the spare seats.
Tournament organizers have said that there will be more tickets made available closer to the start of the event in case the situation improves. “However, if the situation requires more stringent hygiene standards that force us to reduce the number of spectators on-site, the tournament organisers will refund any supplementary tickets sold,” they added.
Regarding the wearing of masks, the FTF says, “Though we recommend wearing a mask in the vicinity of the stadium and whenever you are standing or sitting still inside the grounds (in the stands), any spectators moving around the 12-hectare site of Roland-Garros stadium will be obliged to wear a mask.”
Last month, World No. 1, Novak Djokovic drew widespread criticism for participating in the Adria Tour event. Novak and his wife both tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after along with other participants at the event.
