This year’s French Open at Roland Garros has been postponed by one week and will now end on June 13, with Wimbledon due to start on June 28; organisers also announce the introduction of night sessions on Court Philippe Chatrier beginning at 9pm local time
By Raz Mirza
Last Updated: 08/04/21 8:39am
Rafael Nadal will be bidding to win a record-extending 14th French Open title and a record 21st Grand Slam
This year’s French Open at Roland Garros has been postponed by one week and will now run from May 30 to June 13, with Wimbledon starting two weeks later.
The French Tennis Federation (FFT) is hoping for current pandemic restrictions in France to be relaxed by the end of May, enabling it to have more spectators at the tournament.
Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu has previously said it was possible the Grand Slam could be postponed for the second year amid the COVID-19 crisis.
Iga Swiatek will be defending her women’s title at Roland Garros (Photo courtesy of Markus Berger / Red Bull Content Pool)
The 2020 tournament was rescheduled due to the pandemic, eventually taking place in late September and early October and took place in front of limited crowds. The event usually begins on the fourth Sunday in May, ending in early June.
With the announcement that Roland Garros will start a week later, it will bring a return of the old two-week gap between Roland Garros and Wimbledon, which was changed to three weeks in 2015.
The postponement is set to have an impact on the ATP and WTA calendars, especially on the grass-court season with tournaments scheduled to start on June 7 in s’Hertogenbosch (WTA and ATP) Stuttgart (ATP) and Nottingham (WTA).
Had the French Open gone ahead on May 23, the grounds would have been empty due to tougher COVID-19 measures announced by President Emmanuel Macron.
Organisers have also announced the introduction of night sessions on Court Philippe Chatrier this year, with three day matches and one night match.
The fourth match will be played at 9pm local time and could be either a men’s or women’s match, depending on the order of play for the day.
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