French Open: More rain a reminder Roland Garros still has no roof
PARIS — More than 3,000 miles away, in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., the U.S. Open is working on the final pieces – literally – of a long-awaited roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium.
As rain ravaged the French Open schedule here for a second consecutive day, the cloudy skies have reminded tennis fans of a clear truth: this year, Roland Garros becomes the lone major tournament without a roof over at least one of its courts.
The Australian Open has three, Wimbledon is working on its second and the U.S. Open – should all things go as planned – will debut its roof at the outset of this year’s event. (In addition to a second, slated for 2018.)
While there is certainly no roof to prevent the delays this week at the French Open (more bad weather is forecast), when, precisely, there will be one, is still up in the air. An initial plan unveiled in 2009 was solidified in 2013, but local groups have fought the construction, which would also include an expansion of the Roland Garros grounds themselves.
The roof is scheduled to be ready for Roland Garros in 2020, said Nicolas Bonnet, a French Tennis Federation representative (FFT), but the challenged expansion is what is seen as the ultimate delay, while Court Philippe Chatrier would need a restructuring to be able to support the weight of a roof.
The roof is the last phase of the project, which hinges on the ability to expand to allow for the construction in and around Chatrier, a project that promises to be obstructive at an already-crowded event.
“It's an ongoing process which will take us to 2020 where, you know, hopefully everything will be done,” tournament director Guy Forget said at a press conference on Monday. “And the roof is actually the last piece of that puzzle.”
Roland Garros itself is far smaller in terms of acreage compared to the three other Slams. Its small size is most evident in the first week of the French Open, when fans rub shoulders going from one court to the next, the walkway between Court Philippe Chatrier and Court Suzanne Lenglen often moving at a snail’s pace.
Yet the expansion is what is most challenged locally. The FFT has been fought by local residents as well as preservationists because of historic greenhouses in the park in which they are expanding into. The organization promises the greenhouses will remain intact.
“The FFT does not demolish the historic greenhouses of Jean-Camille Formigé,” said Jeremy Botton, the organization’s director general, at a press conference last week. Formigé was a famous French architect.
The greenhouses are in the Serres d'Auteuil gardens, known to be a heritage site.
“The construction relating to these semi-underground places [the greenhouses], was stopped by the court,” Botton said. “The Federation has lodged an appeal before the State Council to [challenge] this decision.”
Botton complained that France’s system was woefully slow in comparison to the “very fast” U.S., where the U.S. Tennis Association will have gone from a 2013 announcement to a 2016 debut of the roof.
“France is... not place for the speed of large projects,” said a frustrated Botton.
As rain continued to fall on Monday here, fans had few places to go to take cover. Many used the underground RG Lab – an interactive fan zone with games and sponsor activations – as a cover from the rain, while others sat – almost sadly – under umbrellas on the empty courts, waiting for the tennis to begin.
The complete halting of any live sports event, while a headache for fans on site, is an absolute nightmare for TV rights holders. On Monday, Eurosport International showed a replay of the Stan Wawrinka-Novak Djokovic 2015 final. Tennis Channel, meanwhile, aired Kei Nishikori’s match from Sunday, which was set to resume Monday.
“When you go through two days like this you realize the importance of having a roof over your courts,” Forget added. “To the fans out in front of the TV that love to watch tennis, they have been waiting for a year to watch clay court [tennis] played on TV. We wait and wait and wait and wait.”
On Monday, the player lounge and restaurant were packed with those waiting to play. Simona Halep, the 2014 runner-up, sat on a couch smiling and laughing with coach Darren Cahill. Serena Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou made his way through, greeting a couple of familiar French faces.
On days like these it’s the ultimate waiting game for competitors, who eat, rest, play games, chat, meet with agents… basically do anything to stay occupied.
But it’s the wait – a long one – for a roof, which hangs most prescient over Roland Garros. When it will come is as easy to predict as the weather.