Rafael Nadal may have his chance to defend his 12th Roland Garros title in 2020. As the Coronavirus pandemic is more under control, activities are resuming all over the world. The French Open had to be staged in May, but it has been postponed to September, hoping that there will be the necessary conditions to stage the major.
The optimism
The organization of the slam is growing more and more optimistic and there is also a feeling that spectators will be allowed to attend the event. Hughes Cavallin, the general treasurer of the French Tennis Federation, shared his feelings with Tennis Majors. According to Cavallin, there is no reason why the French Open should not have spectators if there are elections in June.
“The scenario is getting more and more optimistic. Let me give you an example: if the Government goes ahead with organizing municipal elections in June, I don’t see why we couldn’t put people in the stadium then,” he commented.
According to reports, the Tennis French Federation earned as much as 261 million euros in 2019 from the Roland Garros and it cannot afford to lose this revenue.
“It’s obviously a tough situation to go through because one just doesn’t lose 261 million euros without this having consequences,” Cavallin reflected.
Also, the Roland Garros is giving a significant financial gain to the city of Paris. The various stakeholders (hotels, restaurants, shops) are estimated to earn as much as 270 million euros from the slam.
It should also be noted that Roland-Garros benefits the whole city of Paris and the local neighborhood to make money: they earn 270 million euros thanks to the tournament. Everything is tied together so we must continue to help. It’s at times like these that we all need to stand united,” he elaborated.
About playing the Roland Garros with no fans
The organization is not even considering playing the major with no fans. However, the idea is to allow fewer people on the premises to observe also some social distancing.
“Honestly, that’s not even a hypothesis we’re considering anymore. What we do envisage, however, is letting 25,000 people in, instead of 40,000. We still want to put on a good tournament,” he concluded.
The Roland Garros has also finally managed to equip the Philippe-Chatrier court with a roof after spending 400 Euro million.
Rafael Nadal in 2020
Currently ranked no.2, the Spaniard played his last match on the 29th of February when he defeated Taylor Fritz 6-3 6-2 in the final in Acapulco to win his 85th career title.
At the moment, this season Rafael has a 13-3 win-loss record. Nadal conquered 1 title in Acapulco.
