The roof of the Suzanne-Lenglen court, whose structure is lighter than that of the Chatrier roof, closes in around fifteen minutes BERTRAND GUAY / AFP
This Thursday, tournament director Amélie Mauresmo, accompanied by FFT president Gilles Moretton, presented the new features for 2024. With a certain Rafael Nadal in the background…
One month before the first round, the organizers took stock this Thursday in a lounge adjoining the presidential stand on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
The roof on the Suzanne-Lenglen
Officially inaugurated on Sunday May 26, during the first day of the main draw, the new roof was presented to the press this Thursday. This roof, whose structure is lighter than that of Chatrier, closes in around fifteen minutes. “It will allow us to be able to offer matches in the event of bad weather, but also to shelter 25,000 people on the two main courts (15,000 on Chatrier and 10,000 on Lenglen) in case of bad weather, specifies Amélie Mauresmo. This will allow us to have a little more flexibility in our programming and in the progress of matches throughout the 15 days.. The former world number 1 added that the Lenglen is now equipped with LED lighting, but she however ruled out the possibility of organizing night sessions there like on the Chatrier. “We obviously thought about this option, but we quickly ruled it out for security reasons”justified Mauresmo. “The stadium as a whole could not absorb the population of the day, in addition to the 15,000 people waiting to enter the Chatrier and another 10,000 waiting to enter the Lenglen. The crossover would have been too risky”.
The roof of Lenglen is now equipped with LED lighting. BERTRAND GUAY / AFP
An additional night session
Another new feature for 2024 is the addition of a night session. There were ten in 2022 and 2023, there will be 11, adding that of the first day of the final table, Sunday May 26. Like last season, there will only be one match and the first point will be played at 8:30 p.m. on the Philippe-Chatrier court. Often criticized for favoring the masculine picture at the expense of the feminine, director Amélie Mauresmo assured. “As we have done from the start, it is the athlete who will decide the match of the day. I have no obligation to be fair. If we have a great women’s match, we will offer it. If it’s more masculine, it will be masculine. We don’t have a quota to respect”.
Rafael Nadal married him
A virtual certainty, this edition should be the last of the master of the place, Rafael Nadal, 14 times crowned in his kingdom. It remains to be seen whether the Spaniard, who will be 38 years old on June 3 in the middle of Roland-Garros, will be there… His statements at a press conference in Madrid, where he played his first round on Thursday, do not encourage optimism. “We keep our fingers crossed, for him but also for us because we want to welcome him here at Roland-Garros. He’s at home and he knows it.”, Mauresmo said. And if, fortunately for the organizers and the public, the Majorcan responds, what programming should be reserved for him? “This subject will be central. We’ll get together and see what’s best… maybe for Rafa. Or for the tournament… We’ll talk about it. But yes, it will be a subject that will lead to debate”, admitted Mauresmo. As for a possible tribute for the greatest clay court player in history, the director responds: “Knowing whether there will be a tribute or not, this year or next year, is very dependent on him and the decisions he makes. We wait to see and we will follow his wishes”. In any case, there is no question of granting him seed status (he is 512th in the world) because of his status as a living legend of the tournament. “This is not an option that is on the table”assures the tournament director.
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650,000 spectators expected
Which would constitute a record. “For the entire three weeks of competition”, specified the director, who is aiming for a 50% increase during the qualifying week, called “Opening Week” by the organization. “We had 50,000 people last year, we would like to reach 75,000 this time. This becomes possible because the Lenglen will be used for qualifying. Mauresmo specifies.
On the disappearance of lines judges from 2025
A page will turn in 2025. The ATP circuit will be managed by electronic arbitration. Goodbye to the line judges on the court and the chair umpire “will be pleased” to indicate the scores. Roland-Garros, independent of the ATP circuit, can decide to keep the tradition… or not. For the moment, Mauresmo is not closing the door to lines judges: “We are very attached to people and to the linesmen. We will see how this 2024 edition goes and we will talk about it. We will not be afraid to put this question on the table and move forward with what we have decided.”
Gilles Moretton and Amélie Mauresmo BERTRAND GUAY / AFP
Other new features…
Closed for several years due to tournament modernization work, the tennis museum will reopen. “The stadium is in its final configuration”assured Gilles Moretton. “We are going to reopen the Tenniseum, but also its 300-seat auditorium.” The restaurant and locker rooms have been completely renovated (without touching the historic lockers). The four largest courts will be equipped with new furniture and the ticketing, moreover, will be 100% dematerialized. And Amélie Mauresmo also announced: “We wanted to pay tribute to our champions, with the creation of the Allée du tennis français between the village and Chatrier which will honor around 125 players.”
