French Open organizers have increased their expectations of a possible return to its traditional May-June tournament set up this year. At the same time, they will attempt to increase the number of fans watching in the stands. Last year, the clay-court event was held from September 27 to October 11. It was due to the onset of the coronavirus disease in Europe. The pandemic has forced organizers to limit the number of fans from entering Roland Garros to 1,000 per day.
Despite the restrictions that affected French Open action last year, the event was successful. Rafael Nadal won his 13th French Open title and 20th overall Grand Slam in the men’s singles category. Also, Polish star Iga Swiatek taking home her first women’s Grand Slam trophy. The new edition of the clay-court special will bring excitement to die-hard fans. Online tennis betting sites will definitely pick their favorite stars in the second Grand Slam event of the year.
Maximizing Crowd Participation
The newly-appointed French Tennis Federation director-general Amelie Oudea-Castera has an announcement to make. They want to hold the French Open back in the May-June time frame. The organizers also wanted to welcome as many fans as they can. This is to gain that sense of normalcy and income from live audiences. However, this will depend on the French government’s decision. Another factor is the prevailing health situation in the European nation during that time. Oudea-Castera clarified that they are working on various scenarios to make the upcoming tournament a successful one. Everything would depend on the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine. Especially to the people who will possibly watch the French Open live.
Nadal, Swiatek Favored to Retain Title
The French Open has been Nadal’s second home aside from Spain. In his 20 Grand Slam titles, 13 were won in Roland Garros. He did this at a time where the competition was tougher. It was mainly due to the emergence of superstars like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray. And for this year, the defending champion remains the top favorite to retain the title, according to Grand Slam tennis odds. His mastery of clay makes everyone amazed and stunned at how he was able to rack up victories in the slower clay court surface. Although there are some tennis stars who can match Nadal’s ability to win on clay, the Spanish maestro is beyond comparison.
On the women’s side, Polish teen sensation Swiatek will likely repeat as champion in the French Open despite the presence of top stars like Naomi Osaka, Simona Halep, Ashleigh Barty, and Serena Williams. Last year, the 19-year-old netter demolished her foes in straight sets fashion to capture the title. Although it has been tough to repeat on the women’s side due to the high level of skills that exist in this division, Swiatek’s game is tailor-fit for the tournament and we are looking at the female counterpart of Nadal if she keeps winning in the French Open.
Conclusion
The plan to revert the French Open back to its original playdate shows the readiness of the organizers to hold the tournament amid existing coronavirus restrictions in France. The hope to vaccinate people and be cured of the disease is high especially now that various health companies have rolled out the cure for COVID-19. This has increased the confidence of officials towards increasing the number of spectators allowed in the event from 1,000 last year. The French Open expects to bring excitement to everyone who loves tennis and the thrill of clay-court action.
