Former Grand Slam winner blasts French Open ‘hazard’ as compensation claim emerges
The 2026 French Open has been one of the most talked about editions in recent years, for both good and bad reasons.
On the men’s side of the draw, heavy favourite Jannik Sinner fell in the second round, while Joao Fonseca came from two sets down to beat Novak Djokovic in round three.
Amid a chaotic opening to Roland Garros, where men’s seeds have been knocked out left, right, and centre, there is not a single Grand Slam winner left in the tournament.
However, there have also been a slew of injuries and withdrawals. For instance, Alexander Blockx was forced to withdraw from his second-round match with Alex de Minaur after twisting his ankle on a tarpaulin at the back of a practice court.
Elsewhere, Katie Boulter and Zeynep Sonmez called for advertising boards near the back of the court to be removed after suffering nasty falls.
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According to The Athletic, Blockx’s coach, Ruben Bemelmans, said they are considering seeking compensation as a result of the 21-year-old’s injury.
However, Andy Roddick believes that the tarpaulin at the back of a court is necessary if it suddenly starts raining. Conversely, the advertising boards, which carry the name of the French Open’s official partner, Lacoste, serve “no purpose”.
Roddick said on the latest episode of Served, “That’s unfortunate [with Blockx’s injury] but also the tarps (tarpaulin) serve a purpose. As soon as it starts raining, you don’t want mud, you have to have the tarps ready to put them over the court.
“If it pours and if you have to get tarps from inside a stadium, bring them out, you lose an hour or two of court as moisture gets trapped.
“These boxes that the umpires put their little feet in, they don’t do anything. It is purely for advertising. The question becomes, does that take precedence over player health?
“We’ve had two women, Boulter almost got hurt and Somnez also got hurt by it. They serve no purpose; you can’t make an argument for it. There’s a very functional reason why they exist (tarps). These little boxes, they’re just a hazard, really.”
Since the aforementioned incidents, the French Tennis Federation said tournament organisers have taken note of some of the players’ feedback regarding the court setup and are “maintaining ongoing communication with the players and their teams”. They did, however, somewhat stand their ground.
Part of the statement read, “The stadium complex was modernised during the 2018/2019 season. All Roland-Garros courts currently exceed the international circuit minimum requirements regarding the distance between the baseline and the back of the court, which is set at 6.4 metres.
“However, the tournament’s priority remains the well-being of the players taking part. With this in mind, and based on our own observations, adjustments are currently being made to the area around the playing surface.”
This comes after players have talked of boycotting Grand Slams over what they deem is insufficient prize money – despite the 2026 Roland Garros hitting record highs in that department. Indeed, the French Open‘s revenue share for players is said to be just under 15 per cent, which is a drop from last year.
READ MORE: Alexander Zverev reacts to Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic’s early exits at Roland Garros