Roland
Garros will inaugurate its second retractable roof during the first week of the
French Open, revealed tournament director
Amelie Mauresmo. The Suzanne Lenglen
court will join the Philippe Chatrier stadium as the covered stadiums, with the
Olympic Games in mind.
The second
Grand Slam of the year will begin on May 26th on the main courts, and on that
day, a ceremony will be held for the roof over the Suzanne Lenglen court, which
has a capacity for 10,000 spectators.
The
addition of the retractable roof at
Roland Garros was announced by tournament
director Amelie Mauresmo during a press conference. The former world No. 1
mentioned that the ceremony will take place before the first match of the
opening day of competition, although it may be used in the days leading up to
it if necessary during the qualifying rounds.
"The
most obvious thing will be the roof over Court Suzanne Lenglen," said
tournament director Mauresmo. "It will allow us to have matches when it is
raining and give us a bit more flexibility with programming."
The Suzanne Lenglen court was used until the 9th day of the 2023 French Open (fourth round). On its final day, Iga Swiatek and Holger Rune secured victories on that court.
This
addition complements the retractable roof over the main Philippe Chatrier
court, which has been in place since 2020 and has a capacity for 15,000
spectators. The two covered courts guarantee 25,000 spectators in the stadium
and will enhance worldwide television broadcasts.
These two
covered courts will not only be of great help during the French Open but will
also be important for the Paris Olympic Games scheduled from July 27th to
August 27th. Back in 2021, some matches were interrupted on the outdoor courts
due to the scorching heat and humidity in Tokyo.