Tennis, anyone?
Not Sunday at the French Open. Nobody was there. Maybe they will be in September.
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Tennis, anyone?
Instead, the grounds in leafy western Paris were deserted on a sunny, blue-sky day because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Viewed from outside, peering through one of the site’s imposing iron gates, the towering roof looked grandiose with its 11 large sections, each 110 meters (360 feet) long and weighing 330 tons (660,000 pounds).
If the French Open does start as hoped on Sept. 20, it might have to be played with no spectators present on the 17 courts for health and safety reasons. The maze-like grounds of Roland Garros are narrow, crammed, stuffy and sinewy, making social distancing impossible.
— Can Nadal win a 13th championship in Paris to raise his total of major trophies to 20 and equal Federer’s record for men?
— Can Ash Barty repeat her 2019 French Open triumph, which earned her her first major championship?
Normally it would take 15 to 20 frustrating minutes to walk from the Porte d’Auteuil subway station to the main entrance. On Sunday, it took just six minutes.
One woman in a blue face covering stopped twice to take photos.
It should have been the first day of the clay-court Grand Slam tournament held annually at Roland Garros — with thousands flocking to catch a glimpse of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Serena Williams.
The Philippe-Chatrier tennis court with its retractable roof is pictured from the construction site fence in Paris, Sunday, May 24, 2020 as the Roland Garros tournament is posponed. It should have been the first day of the French Open tennis tournament, with thousands of fans flocking to Roland Garros in western Paris hoping to catch a glimpse of 12-time champion Rafael Nadal or No. 1 Novak Djokovic. Instead, the grounds are deserted amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the famed tennis tournament on hold until late September. (AP PhotoFrancois Mori)
Instead, the grounds in leafy western Paris were deserted on a sunny, blue-sky day because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Every year it’s Roland Garros time, it’s a bit like tennis fever. I was looking forward to seeing quality tennis and having a day out again. There’s a certain mood, an atmosphere,” said 34-year-old Hector Snowman, who attended the tournament in 2019. “You see stars walking around there, it feels like a privilege to be there. Everyone’s expecting a French player to do well and they have their favorites like (Roger) Federer.”
Court Philippe Chatrier, where 15,000 fans cheered Nadal’s record-extending 12th title last June, wouldn’t have needed the new roof that was supposed to debut in case of rain this year.
The Philippe-Chatrier tennis court with its retractable roof is pictured from the construction site access in Paris, Sunday, May 24, 2020 as the Roland Garros tournament is posponed. It should have been the first day of the French Open tennis tournament, with thousands of fans flocking to Roland Garros in western Paris hoping to catch a glimpse of 12-time champion Rafael Nadal or No. 1 Novak Djokovic. Instead, the grounds are deserted amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the famed tennis tournament on hold until late September. (AP PhotoFrancois Mori)
Viewed from outside, peering through one of the site’s imposing iron gates, the towering roof looked grandiose with its 11 large sections, each 110 meters (360 feet) long and weighing 330 tons (660,000 pounds).
Also visible: construction equipment left behind when France went into lockdown on March 17 littering the inside of Roland Garros.
In early February, the French Tennis Federation proudly released a video to announce the roof was ready. A few weeks later, people were sheltering in place as the nation went into confinement. Soccer, rugby and tennis events all got called off.
Parisisian look at the Philippe-Chatrier tennis court with its retractable roof in Paris, Sunday, May 24, 2020 as the Roland Garros tournament is posponed. It should have been the first day of the French Open tennis tournament, with thousands of fans flocking to Roland Garros in western Paris hoping to catch a glimpse of 12-time champion Rafael Nadal or No. 1 Novak Djokovic. Instead, the grounds are deserted amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the famed tennis tournament on hold until late September. (AP PhotoFrancois Mori)
If the French Open does start as hoped on Sept. 20, it might have to be played with no spectators present on the 17 courts for health and safety reasons. The maze-like grounds of Roland Garros are narrow, crammed, stuffy and sinewy, making social distancing impossible.
That would mean 10,000 fans missing out on watching Djokovic or Nadal on Court Suzanne Lenglen in the early rounds, and it would dash the FFT’s hopes of beating the record 520,000 fans who came to watch last year.
Normally thousands of people would be pressed together on the surrounding streets, preparing to go through security as they walked toward the entrances down Avenue de la Porte d’Auteuil or Avenue Gordon Bennett. As folks waited in line to get checked, the chatter might have been something along these lines:
A journalist takes image of the main Roland Garros entrance of the Philippe-Chatrier tennis court with its retractable roof in Paris, Sunday, May 24, 2020 as the Roland Garros tournament is posponed. It should have been the first day of the French Open tennis tournament, with thousands of fans flocking to Roland Garros in western Paris hoping to catch a glimpse of 12-time champion Rafael Nadal or No. 1 Novak Djokovic. Instead, the grounds are deserted amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the famed tennis tournament on hold until late September. (AP PhotoFrancois Mori)
— Can Nadal win a 13th championship in Paris to raise his total of major trophies to 20 and equal Federer’s record for men?
— Will Williams win a 24th Grand Slam title to equal Margaret Court?
— Will Djokovic claim an 18th major title to close in on Nadal and Federer?
FILE - In this June 9, 2019 file photo, spectators watch Austria's Dominic Thiem playing Spain's Rafael Nadal, right, on center court during the men's final match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. It should have been the first day of the French Open tennis tournament, with thousands of fans flocking to Roland Garros in western Paris hoping to catch a glimpse of 12-time champion Rafael Nadal or No. 1 Novak Djokovic. Instead, the grounds are deserted amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the famed tennis tournament on hold until late September. (AP PhotoPavel Golovkin, File)
— Can Ash Barty repeat her 2019 French Open triumph, which earned her her first major championship?
— Could Dominic Thiem, a runner-up to Nadal the past two years, finally win his first major?
But on this day, the long lanes leading to the stadium looked like any other tree-lined street in Paris. There were no stewards barking out instructions or beefy security guards checking bags. No panama-hat wearing volunteers guiding fans around or checking tickets.
FILE - In this June 9, 2019 file photo, Spain's Rafael Nadal celebrates his record 12th French Open tennis tournament title after winning his men's final match against Austria's Dominic Thiem in four sets, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. It should have been the first day of the French Open tennis tournament, with thousands of fans flocking to Roland Garros in western Paris hoping to catch a glimpse of 12-time champion Rafael Nadal or No. 1 Novak Djokovic. Instead, the grounds are deserted amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the famed tennis tournament on hold until late September. (AP PhotoPavel Golovkin, File)
Normally it would take 15 to 20 frustrating minutes to walk from the Porte d’Auteuil subway station to the main entrance. On Sunday, it took just six minutes.
There was plenty of time and space to admire the Jardin des Serres d’Auteuil, whose gardens stand opposite Roland Garros and have been there since 1898; the four white statues in front of the main gate look imperious under a cloudless sky.
Only handfuls of people walked down the avenue or rode bikes, some wearing protective masks.
FILE - In this May 24, 2015 file photo, visitors walk in the alleys of the Roland Garros stadium on the first day of the French Open tennis tournament in Paris. It should have been the first day of the French Open tennis tournament, with thousands of fans flocking to Roland Garros in western Paris hoping to catch a glimpse of 12-time champion Rafael Nadal or No. 1 Novak Djokovic. Instead, the grounds are deserted amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the famed tennis tournament on hold until late September. (AP PhotoDavid Vincent, File)
One woman in a blue face covering stopped twice to take photos.
The first time, she photographed the roof. The second time, she walked around the corner and snapped a shot of the stadium entrance.
Tangled green foliage has draped itself over the main sign that says, “Fédération Française de Tennis” — French tennis federation — with “Stade Roland Garros” written underneath in black letters.
FILE - In this May 24, 2015 file photo, the crowd reacts as Japan's Kei Nishikori plays France's Paul-Henri Mathieu during their first round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. It should have been the first day of the French Open tennis tournament, with thousands of fans flocking to Roland Garros in western Paris hoping to catch a glimpse of 12-time champion Rafael Nadal or No. 1 Novak Djokovic. Instead, the grounds are deserted amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the famed tennis tournament on hold until late September. (AP PhotoChristophe Ena, Fille)
Normally, that would not be visible with the amount of people around on Day 1 of the French Open.
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