The second retractable roof at Roland Garros will be unveiled on the opening day of next month’s French Open, organizers said Thursday in a project planned with the Paris Olympics.
A ceremony for the roof of the 10,000-seat Suzanne Lenglen Stadium will be held on May 26, when play begins in the main draws, tournament director Amelie Mauresmo said at a news conference.
Even before the opening for the two-week tournament, the roof can be closed if it rains during the qualifying rounds in the previous six days.
The 15,000-seat Philippe Chatrier main court has a retractable roof from 2020.
“It’s a field that will help us a lot,” Mauresmo said, calling it “the most visible new feature” of the 2024 tournament.
Mauresmo praised the new roof as providing greater flexibility in game scheduling and ensuring play for 25,000 fans at the stadium and television viewers around the world.
The two indoor courts will help keep the Olympic tournament on schedule from July 27-Aug. 4 at the Paris Games. In the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, games were held in open fields disturbed by the scorching heat and moisture.
Rafael Nadal, the record 14-time Grand Slam men’s singles champion on clay, was challenged On Wednesday he will be ready for Roland Garros as he deals with injuries at the age of 37.
“We’re crossing our fingers for him and for us. He’s at home and he knows it,” Mauresmo said, hours before Nadal took to the court at the Madrid Open. “We are waiting to see what happens and will follow his wishes.”
Although Nadal is the best player of all time at Roland Garros, Mauresmo is not yet ready to make a special case to seed him, as his ranking has fallen to No. 512. Wimbledon has given preferred seeding to players specializing in grass.
“We also saw that it brought some benefits, but it also brought some drawbacks,” Mauresmo said of seeding based on a player’s history instead of current ranking. “So that’s not on the table yet.”
If Nadal is unsettled, he could be drawn to face any other player in the first round, including long-time rival and defending champion Novak Djokovic or two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Nadal, an Olympic gold medalist in singles and doubles, is expected at Roland Garros for the summer games and could play doubles with Alcaraz, French Tennis Federation executive Stephan Morel suggested.
Roland Garros also holds boxing finals in the second week of the Olympics. Mauresmo said the extra attractions only had a positive effect on demand for the French Open.
The tournament is sold out for the first week with daily crowds of 75,000 expected and around 650,000 over the three weeks, including qualifiers.
The Paris Olympics are going underground to find a way to keep athletes cool at the 2024 Games without air conditioners.