Tennis, anyone?
Not Sunday at the French Open. Nobody was there. Maybe they will be in September.
It should have been …
Tennis, anyone?
Not Sunday at the French Open. Nobody was there. Maybe they will be in September.
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.
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.
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.
