French Open could be held behind closed doors: Federation president

The moving of the Grand Slam to the SeptemberOctober window had created controversy, with a number of players voicing concerns over playing a clay-court tournament in the middle of the hard court season. Since the postponement was announced in March, Wimbledon was cancelled for the first time since the Second World War while doubts remain on whether the US Open will be held.

“We haven’t ruled out any option,” Guidicelli told French weekly Journal du Dimanche. “Roland Garros is first and foremost a story of matches and players. There is the tournament taking place in the stadium, and the tournament on TV screens.

“Millions of viewers around the world are waiting. Organising it behind closed doors would allow a part of the business model -- television rights (which account for more than a third of the tournament’s revenues) -- to go ahead. This cannot be overlooked.”

While the new start date was originally supposed to be September 20, Guidicelli revealed it could be further pushed back to September 27. He said holding the French Open is important financially for the players in the country. “Roland Garros is the driving force of tennis in France, it is what feeds the players in our ecosystem (260 million euros in revenue, or 80% of the turnover of the FFT),” he said.