French Open 2021 to be delayed by a week: Organisers
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Recently, France's Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu had said that the French Gand Slam could be postponed.
French Open tennis tournament will be delayed by one week, the organisers of the Grand Slam confirmed on Thursday.
The French Grand Slam will now take place from May 30 to June 13, the French Tennis Federation announced. According to the federation, the delay could allow more fans to attend the tournament if Covid-19 restrictions are eased by then.
The European country entered a third nationwide lockdown on Saturday to contain the surge in coronavirus, however, most of the sporting events in the country will be unaffected.
Recently, France's Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu had said that the French Gand Slam could be postponed.
"We are in discussion with them (the French Tennis Federation, which organises the event) to see if we should change the date to coincide with a possible resumption of all sports and major events," Maracineanu told France Info radio late on Saturday.
"Today, although high-level sport has been preserved, we try to limit the risks of clusters, of spreading the virus within professional sports."
The French Grand Slam, last year, postponed by four months and took place in front of limited crowds, is due to start this year on May 23.
French President Emmanuel Macron, last week, said that he was expecting to re-open the country in mid-May.
The director-general of the French Tennis Federation, Gilles Moreton, said earlier this week that he could not imagine the Grand Slam tournament being cancelled.