Strong suggestions the French Open could be rescheduled for second year running

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Roland Garros French Open view

The French Open could be rescheduled for a second consecutive year, according to France’s sports minister.

The grand slam in Paris is scheduled to take place between May 17 and June 6 but France has just been placed in a third national lockdown after a sharp rise in coronavirus cases.

In 2020, the tournament was moved to October from its usual slot due to the first wave of Covid-19, with a limited amount of fans allowed at Roland Garros.

Sports minister Roxana Maracineanu said while professional sport is still allowed to go ahead, the French government will talk with the French Tennis Federation about the possibility of moving the tournament again.

She said on French radio station France Info on Saturday evening: “We are in discussion with them (the French Tennis Federation) to see if we should change the date to coincide with a possible resumption of all sports and major events.

“Today, although high-level sport has been preserved, we try to limit the risks of clusters, of spreading the virus within professional sports.”

President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that he was expecting to re-open the country in mid-May, but that timescale may be too delicate for French Open officials and they may have to consider playing the event later in year.

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