French Open is going rogue as ATP-WTA continue to cancel tennis tournaments

A joint ATP-WTA statement called off the entire clay season (exception being the French grand slam) in response to COVID-19, with resumption assumed for the summer grass season.

Coronavirus continues to rain chaos on the tennis calendar. After calling off the season through April (ATP) and May (WTA) just a few days ago, the tennis governing bodies came together to announce further suspension of the events, through June 7.

The entire clay season (which takes place mostly in a devastated Europe due to the novel coronavirus) is now out, with the exception of the French Open. A joint ATP-WTA statement took a decisive swipe at the Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT) for unilaterally deciding to reschedule the grand slam tournament to September 20, conflicting with other events, most surprisingly the sold-out competition Laver Cup.

More pointedly, they added fuel to the fire over Roland Garros’s new tournament dates, which were announced via Twitter, without consulting anyone, except for perhaps Rafael Nadal, who was personally phoned about it. Seriously, not cool.

"“Now is not a time to act unilaterally, but in unison. All decisions related to the impact of the coronavirus require appropriate consultation and review with the stakeholders in the game, a view that is shared by ATP, WTA, ITF, AELTC, Tennis Australia, and USTA,” concluded the statement."

All rankings will freeze until the tennis calendar resumes. Roger Federer will probably benefit from this most, since he had begun his planned six-month sabbatical after electing for knee surgery in February. He will keep his fourth ATP ranking. Federer had planned to come back in time for grass season (and his beloved Wimbledon). The only difference is that his ranking will not dip while he misses other tournaments.

Some are speculating that the continued turmoil will go on, possibly dipping into what-is-now the next grand slam, Wimbledon, which takes place at the end of June and first two weeks of July.

“While we continue to plan for The Championships at this time, it remains a continuously evolving situation and we will act responsibly, in the best interests of wider society,” said Richard Lewis, chief executive of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in a released statement.

“We thank all of our Members, staff, players, partners, contractors and the public for their patience and trust as we continue to navigate this unprecedented global challenge.”

As of now, the US Open is also sticking with their original dates, but is leaving the door slightly open. With the French Open now coming a week after what is normally the last grand slam of the season, the USTA also made a point of criticizing the FFT for their announcement, labeled “selfish” and “arrogant” by others.

The USTA is one of the organizations involved with the Laver Cup, an extremely popular event conceived by Federer, taking place in Boston in September. This year’s group tournament was sold out almost immediately, and now clashes directly with the FO dates. One of the biggest draws of LC is the prospect of Federer combining forces with Nadal to play marquee doubles for Team Europe, which is now in jeopardy. LC also threw shade at the FFT via twitter:

"“We have discussions and negotiations between the grand slams and the ATP. We are always trying to make it work for everybody, and [the FFT] just haven’t consulted the ATP, the players or the other tournaments,” said Canadian tennis player Vasek Pospisil, who is a member of the ATP Council.“It’s just a very selfish move. They are basically doing a power play right now, and it’s quite arrogant.”"

Former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka’s response?

twitter.com/naomiosaka/status/1239944990215655424

This is also an Olympic year for the sport, taking place in Tokyo, and so far, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is committed to proceeding on schedule. However, other sports such as golf have already seen players cancel plans to attend. I wouldn’t be surprised if the same occurs in tennis.

The criticism of the French Open will likely continue, with hope that they will reconsider their selfish motivation for changing the dates. But for now, tennis is on hiatus indefinitely, with the hopes of making up for lost time when it gets to grass.

For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.