In the middle of the New York “bubble”, players are worried about the conditions for playing the next Roland-Garros.
Even if they are in their New York bubble, the players are already planning on Roland-Garros, from September 27 to October 11. You have to think about the different reservations. During their last official communication – via a conference call – Bernard Giudicelli had swept away the idea of a bubble. It was long before the events of the US Open. In a Facebook live organized Tuesday evening for his campaign, the President of the FFT was evasive on the subject.
However, according to our information, the decision has been made: the players will be confined in two large Parisian hotels. But it seems that the places are not privatized. Therefore, the notion of a sealed bubble seems to be dismissed. These two establishments will welcome all players, including the French who live in the vicinity of the stadium (Editor’s note: Many live in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Roland-Garros and the national training center of the FFT) . Another measure: impossible to rent apartments. And there will only be two accompanying persons per player.
Questioned Tuesday by RMC Sport, Jérémy Chardy accused the blow. “Roland, this is my favorite tournament, he said. Usually, I take a big apartment to share moments with my family and that will not be possible this year. And then, I do not see how there will be supporters … I think we will be in the same situation as here. That’s my feeling. Even in the bubble here, Benoît was infected. With the public, it’s difficult to control everyone. world.”
The Pau has no information, it’s just his feeling. And the theory of a closed door – or a greatly reduced gauge – suddenly takes on some weight. Especially since Milos Raonic, one of the intellectuals of the circuit, pointed out the weakness of the French Open.
Raonic: “impossible not to meet fans in the aisles”
“The only thing that concerns me is the presence of 20,000 fans, said the Canadian at a press conference. From what I hear, they have already sold tickets. Unless they do not. plan to completely change the organization of the competition venue, it is difficult to get to training or to attend matches without meeting dozens, or even hundreds of people in the aisles… This is the biggest concern for me, especially if we consider the peak of the coronavirus that there is currently in all of France. It is difficult to imagine that the situation will evolve favorably in four weeks or before the start of Roland-Garros. “
The psychosis of the case of Benoît Paire, declared positive at the US Open and out of the tournament, can have serious consequences on the Parisian Grand Slam, which had moved its dates in the hope that the pandemic will be nothing more than a bad memory. 19 days before qualifying kicks off, the situation is worrying. And meetings with the Ministry of Sports – which established the famous threshold of 5,000 spectators – or the Prefecture are expected to be tense.
