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"Our
roof is a necessity," Guy Forget said, as players were sent back to their
hotels and thousands of would-be spectators told to apply for refunds for their
unused tickets.
"I'm a
bit annoyed t
oday, to say the least."
Chopped and
changed plans to modernize Roland Garros now call for a retractable roof by
2020 over Court Philippe Chatrier, as part of a modernization of the cramped
clay-court venue in the west of Paris. But opposition and legal action from
local residents and environmental activists has slowed the ambitious project,
which would expand Roland Garros into botanical gardens next door. Tournament
organizers hope a ruling expected in September from the Council of State, France's
highest administrative authority, will allow work to proceed.
With damp
spectators sheltering where they could from the downpours and no letup
forecast, tournament organizers announced in the early afternoon that there
would be no play at all for the first time since May 30, 2000.
"We
knew today was going to be horrible and it went beyond what we had imagined.
That's why we sent back the players so early," Forget said.
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They will be
followed by defending champion Serena Williams in her delayed fourth-round
match against 18th-seeded Elina Svitolina. Venus Williams' match against 2015
semifinalist Timea Bacsinszky was supposed to have been played on Chatrier on
Monday but was rescheduled as the third match Tuesday on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
I think it is time to do something to this. The organisers should sit down & discuss about this embarrassment. I suggest they shift the tournament from May to a more favourable month in terms of weather. I know it could be tough doing this considering other tournaments being organised , however something must be done.
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