ATP Indulges in “Cat and Mouse Game” Against French Open 2020 Over New Dates

The Tennis associations were caught off guard after the French Tennis Federation took a unilateral decision to postpone the French Open 2020 without consulting the other tennis bodies. The rescheduling of the Roland Garros has certainly put tennis at war due to the lack of coordination between the governing bodies.

FFT’s slanted decision immediately drew condemnation from various players, Grand Slams, ATP, WTA and ITF. The Parisian Slam is rescheduled just one week after the US Open end. Hence the quick transition between the hard court and clay court would be difficult for the players. Moreover, the new dates also created conflicts with other hard court events.

“War” between the French Open and ATP

In an interview with L’Equipe Dirk Hordoff, the President of the German Tennis Federation revealed that ATP has already warned FFT about the action it will take against the French Open if they still stick to their decision.

“If you continue with this idea, we will not award you points for the ranking,” said the ATP as quoted by Dirk. Moreover, it will not end with this year’s edition as ‘no points will be awarded’ for the next French Open.

“I don’t like wars, but there is nothing left to do but fight right now,” Hordoff said. “It is madness. Above all we must worry about defeating the virus, safeguarding the health of the population. We must stop it with these cat and mouse games within our organization. We must do what is best for tennis.”

Also Read: Tokyo Olympics 2021 to Take Place Between Wimbledon and US Open

The postponement of the 2020 French Open has visibly created a mess on the tennis calendar. There is still much confusion and uncertainty over what will happen next. However, we hope that all the tennis associations come with a solution for the betterment of the sport.