- ATP, WTA Strip Wimbledon of Ranking Points
- Zverev: Stefanos Tsitsipas is Favorite in Bottom Half of Roland Garros Draw
- Roland Garros Men’s and Women’s Draws: Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev in Bottom Quarter
- French Open draw ceremony produces a Djokovic-Nadal quarter, Alcaraz also in top half
- Roland Garros Men’s and Women’s Draws: Osaka vs. Anisimova in First Round
- World No. 2 Barbora Krejcikova Signs with Fila
- The 20-Year Grand Slam Streak of Feliciano Lopez Has Come to an End
- Roland Garros Qualifying Draws and Schedule for Thursday, May 19th
- Roland Garros Qualifying Draws and Schedule for Wednesday, May 18th
- Gael Monfils Withdraws from Roland Garros
- Roland Garros Qualifying Draws and Schedule for Tuesday, May 17th
- Roland Garros Qualifying Draws and Schedule for Monday, May 16th
- Djokovic builds momentum for French Open 2022 with sixth Rome Masters Tennis title
- Novak’s Back: Djokovic Beats Tsitsipas for Sixth Rome Crown
- Rome ATP and WTA Draws and Schedule for Sunday, May 15th
French Open Tennis Postponed to One Week Later, ATP and WTA Left With Decisions to Make
- Updated: April 9, 2021

By Ricky Dimon
With coronavirus cases rising once again in Paris, the French Tennis Federation confirmed on Thursday that the French Open will be postponed by one week. Originally scheduled for May 24-June 6, the second Grand Slam of 2021 will now take place from May 30-June 13.
France recently went into a third nationwide lockdown because of the escalating Covid-19 crisis. Tournament organizers hope that even one extra week will allow for improvement in the situation such that fans–as many as possible but obviously unclear on a number at this point–will be able to attend the tournament.
“It will give the health situation more time to improve and should optimize our chances of welcoming spectators at Roland-Garros,” FFT president Gilles Moreton stated. “For the fans, the players, and the atmosphere, the presence of spectators is vital for our tournament–the spring’s most important international sporting event.”
The postponement may end up helping the French Open and fans who hope to attend, but it certainly does not help the rest of the tennis calendar. For the second straight year, a Roland Garros postponement has thrown a wrench into the schedule. Of course, the 2020 move from May and June to September and October was for more chaotic. This season’s one-week shift will mainly impact the start of the grass-court swing immediately following the French Open. Tournaments in ‘s-Hertogenbosch (WTA and ATP), Stuttgart (ATP), and Nottingham (WTA) had been scheduled to begin on June 7. Now, that June 7-13 spot obviously overlaps with week two of Roland Garros.
The ball is now in the ATP and WTA Tours, so to speak, as they must decide what to do about a grass-court swing that now has only two weeks instead of three in between the French Open and Wimbledon. There is also an extra week before the French Open in which more clay-court events could be held.
“Tennis has required an agile approach to the calendar over the past 12 months in order to manage the challenges of the pandemic, and this continues to be the case,” a joint statement by the ATP and WTA read.
“The decision to delay the start of Roland-Garros by one week has been made in the context of recently heightened COVID-19 restrictions in France, with the additional time improving the likelihood of enhanced conditions and ability to welcome fans at the event.
“Both the ATP and WTA are working in consultation with all parties impacted by the postponement to optimize the calendar for players, tournaments and fans, in the lead-up to and following Roland-Garros. Further updates will be communicated in due course.”
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on twitter at @Dimonator.