WASHINGTON, May 9, 2020 (by Michael Dickens)
According to French sports daily L’Equipe, Roland Garros announced on Thursday that it will cancel and fully reimburse patrons who had purchased tickets for the original French Open dates of May 24 to June 7.
The New York Times tennis correspondent Christopher Clarey wrote on Twitter: “This decision gives (the) tournament the freedom, if it does happen in new September-October dates, to sell fewer tickets/create more social distancing.”
While the French sports minister previously had indicated that the postponed French Open will not be held without spectators, it seems clear from Thursday’s decision by Roland Garros that its decision to reimburse all tickets from the original dates provides a choice to play this year’s French Open behind closed doors. Currently, the twice-rescheduled Grand Slam will be held from September 27 to October 11.
The following notice now appears on the tickets link of the French Open website rolandgarros.com, translated from French:
The French Tennis Federation has chosen to postpone Roland-Garros until the end of September, and in responsibility, we are currently working in collaboration with the French authorities to jointly define the appropriate measures, which will guarantee health and safety of all the populations present.
Pending having drawn all the contours, the French Tennis Federation has decided to cancel and reimburse all tickets already purchased for the Roland-Garros spring 2020 edition. Indeed, the current health situation linked to Covid-19 and the scale of this pandemic are causing uncertainty for all events bringing together audiences around the world.
If you bought tickets for Roland-Garros 2020, we would first like to sincerely thank you for your patience over the past few weeks. Your refund will be automatically made before the end of May on the account linked to the bank card used for the payment of tickets. Specific reimbursement methods will be offered to certain people who bought their tickets from our ticket offices or from our managers (order forms for example). These reimbursement methods will be communicated on our ticketing site in the coming days as well as by email to the persons concerned.
We will keep you regularly informed of developments and the new ticketing arrangements for Roland-Garros fall 2020.
This particular fall edition will be placed under the sign of solidarity and by its outfit, we hope to bring pleasure and joy to tennis enthusiasts. We all hope to see you again in good health.
Del Potro donating his 2013 Wimbledon kicks to charity
On Friday, Juan Martín del Potro announced he’s donating the shoes he wore during his 2013 Wimbledon semifinals against Novak Djokovic to a charity auction that will benefit Ramon Santamarina Hospital in his hometown of Tandil, Argentina. A minimum €5 donation is required to enter the charity auction and obtain a chance of winning the kicks.
The significance of the 2013 Wimbledon semifinals is that at four hours and 43 minutes, the del Potro-Djokovic match made history as the then-longes semifinal ever contested at Wimbledon. It was won by Djokovic, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-7 (6), 6-3.
Behind The Racquet – Guido Pella
“Deep inside I knew I only wanted to play tennis but I was fighting something in me,” writes Guido Pella in a recent first-person essay he penned for the Instagram series Behind The Racquet. “I wanted to get back on the court and be okay with losing match if I worked hard in practice. That is what tennis is about. It is about making mistakes, losing matches, playing poorly and then coming off the court and finding a new way to win.
“I stopped for about three months where I worked a lot on myself. I read a few self-help books, and others in the world of psychology. I wasn’t playing low level tournaments when I stopped, I was playing Grand Slams, I should have been happy. I knew something inside me had to change. After this time, I started to open up more. I found out that there are some days when my parents and sisters feel sad and don’t want to leave the house. The idea that you will have good and bad days and it is just about finding your own happiness.”
What they’re writing
Stuart Fraser, tennis correspondent, The Times of London, from “Elite tennis coaches delivering Amazon parcels and pizza to make ends meet during lockdown”: “This week’s joint announcement by tennis’s seven governing bodies of a fund of about £5 million for low-ranking players brought some welcome relief for those struggling to pay the bills. It is now coming up for two months since the coronavirus forced the suspension of the professional tours, and it is unclear when play will resume.
“There was, however, noticeably no mention of any support for coaches. While a few who work with high-profile players are on full-time salaries and will be taken care of, many are on more flexible contracts by the month, week or day. In a particularly precarious position are those who have loose agreements based on prize-money percentages and expenses.”
What they’re sharing on social media
Marin Cilic, Croatia, currently ranked No. 37 / Enjoying time as a father
Getting to spend uninterrupted time with this guy has been priceless. ☺🧡 pic.twitter.com/7LfuU4ZKJj
— Marin Cilic (@cilic_marin) May 7, 2020
Kristie Ahn, United States, currently ranked 96th / Her latest Tik-Tok has a jazzy sound
No lie, this is my default answer. pic.twitter.com/OSVnqNkqwG
— Kristie Ahn (@kristieahn) May 7, 2020
ATP Tour / Lords of the Court
Lords Of The Court 🧙♂️🗡️🎾
🎨: @chicha31delgado | #tennisathome pic.twitter.com/vdF7Q4mIOO
— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 6, 2020
