The French Open originally was moved from a May start to Sept. 20. Now its qualifying will begin Sept. 21 and finish on Sept. 25.
The French Open already was postponed from May to September because of the coronavirus pandemic and now is being pushed back an additional week.
The French Tennis Federation says its Grand Slam tournament’s main draw will be played at Roland Garros from Sept. 27 to Oct. 11.
That doubles the gap from the Sept. 13 end of the U.S. Open.
The French Open originally was moved from a May start to Sept. 20. Now its qualifying will begin Sept. 21 and finish on Sept. 25.
The federation says it is working with the French government to “set out suitable measures that will ensure the health and safety of all people present.”
The federation adds that “all options will be considered and are susceptible to change.”
“We are delighted that our discussions with the various international tennis authorities have allowed us to extend the 2020 edition of the Roland-Garros tournament to three weeks. In the current, difficult climate, we are well aware that it is a privilege to be able to hold Roland-Garros in its usual format. Especially since the qualifying tournament will help to financially support a category of professional players who have been severely affected by this unprecedented crisis. The responsible decision we made on 17th March to postpone the Roland-Garros tournament – the climax of the clay season – until the autumn means that the 2020 clay season can be saved, providing the current situation continues to improve. The Roland-Garros tournament is thus fulfilling its historic role as the clay-court world championships. The tournament in autumn 2020 will be a new chapter in Roland-Garros’ ongoing history,” explained Bernard Giudicelli, President of the FFT.
