Simon Reed

French should stay at Roland Garros

Fri Nov 06 07:34AM

It has been revealed that the French tennis federation is considering moving the French Open away from Roland Garros if its extension project does not get the green light from the Paris City Council within the next year.

I take the issue seriously because it seems the council are getting cold feet but, and this might be a case of me wearing rose-tinted glasses here, I still see it fundamentally as just a case of brinkmanship at this point.

The FFT are saying: if you don't give us what we want then we will go somewhere else, but I think the tournament would lose a lot if they were forced to move and I think the FFT know that.

The French have been very careful to brand themselves as 'Roland Garros' over the last 10 years. It used to always be called the French Open but the feeling that the name of the tournament is changing to Roland Garros has been growing steadily year-on-year.

So, without pouring cold water on their threats, that's another reason why they would be loathe to leave

There is a slight problem because where they want to build this extra court is in a very salubrious area. People there are well connected and would be quite a powerful force to dislodge, but ultimately will money talk? I sense that it will and that the FFT will get their way in the end.

I think Roland Garros as a venue is great and all of us at Eurosport would hate for it to leave because we all love going there. It has its own sense of style and identity and it would be a shame if it had to move.

However, having said all that, while it would be a great pity if it left, I don't think it is absolutely critical that the tournament stays at Roland Garros.

If it did move, it would take time for the tournament to establish itself back to its previous level, but I think the French are very good with ideas and I'm sure that they would build a magnificent structure.

It would take a long time before people got used to it but if it was still the French Open and the prize money was the same, then I think people would still embrace it.

One thing I can't see happening is a situation where France would lose its Grand Slam to one of the wealthy Asian markets.

I think the Slam that has been under the greatest threat in recent years has been the Australian Open, but they have been very careful to position themselves as the Slam for the Asia-Pacific region.

China made a very strong play for that event but I think Australia have fully wrested it back by taking Asian input into their tournament.

The notion of moving a Grand Slam away from its home country is dangerous idea - a really dangerous idea.

The WTA went for the dollar by sending their Tour Championship to Doha and they got what they needed at a very important time. That means it was probably a shrewd move but I have to say that I think going over there lessened that tournament.

I don't think a Grand Slam can take that sort of risk. For me, you can't build a Grand Slam in the Middle East - there just isn't the spectator interest. I think anywhere in the Middle East is a no-no.

It could work in the Far East but even the tournaments over there recently haven't been brimful with spectators and that would be the danger even if they added a fifth Slam to the calendar specifically for that market.

In golf they have been keen to keep it to just four Slams and I see tennis as being similar in that respect. I know in Miami they have been very keen to project themselves as the unofficial 'fifth Slam' - but I'm afraid that doesn't quite work.

You can never say never, it could happen, but it would take a long time and a leap of faith from everyone to deliver a fifth Slam and the only place where I could see it happening is China.

Comments1 - 13 of 13

Simon, your French collegue at Eurosport, in his French Language blog, discussed the fact that the change of venue for both the Australian and US Opens had improved these tournements considerably. Do you agree?
Also, the French built a new National Stadium on the opposite side of Paris from the old one - and that works. There are plenty of sites around Paris that would work and make the tournement just as good if not better.
From ronald.davidson on Fri Nov 06 09:59AM
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Reed : French should stay at "Roland Garros"
Rest Of The World : Simon Reed should stay at home ( with the PC switched off )
From migbrenn on Fri Nov 06 10:10AM
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ROLAND GARROS SHOULD STAY
*************************************** WHY -- CHANGE .....????????????????
From ivan66ivan on Fri Nov 06 11:36AM
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Very good article from Simon!!! But for my opinion, there is one surface that's been neglected over the past 20 years and it is american green clay. One turnament for man and one or two tournaments per year for women is insufficient. Why can't Miami take responsibility for organizing the fifth slam that will be played on a green clay? Of course, in that way Masters 1000 Monte Carlo could drop to 500 series level or lover. I think it will be more attractive for the public and for the crowd to listen the news and watch the players on the courts.
Far east offers big money at the moment, but in the future it is not expected that a player from that region makes some astonishing succsess. So my vote goes to the North West region or USA for the time being.
From radyu5 on Fri Nov 06 12:07PM
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One thing I can't see happening is a situation where France would lose its Grand Slam to one of the wealthy Asian markets. If Asia is so wealthy what Reed so called, why can't it move to there, i mean i find it´s a racist comment, he want to say something nice about Asia, (that wealthy thing), but on the other side he means that the Asians can't handle such big event as an Grand Slam. That is was he's mention about it.
From aus11123 on Fri Nov 06 01:53PM
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i would have been in favour in australian open being drpped at put in china or south america but i have to be honest im starting to love the AO the atomsphere,the courts the only problem is it is so far away and bad for european audiances but i love the heat and the players in january in our depressed winter
From bredafarrell on Fri Nov 06 02:19PM
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There's this thing called TRADITION,and Tennis is all about that,plus,it's the diversity of surfaces that makes it so difficult to win all Slams and by definition,so interesting at least for us,the fans.
The clay at RG is like no other and needs to be kept there,Wimbledon there and so on.If not,all the Glory of a win will be washed away and history absolutely meaningless
From wynotmeme on Fri Nov 06 02:41PM
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To aus11123:
I don't think Reed is being racist. I just think he's referring to the fact that the interest in tennis is not huge in Asia or the mIddle East. I mean if you watched the WTA Championships in Doha, the stadium was only half full at most matches and this was when the top players were playing. Anyway, personally I think that even if change comes then eventually that change will be written into history and tradition but I would prefer the tradition we have now to stay the way it is because it's prefectly good the way it is. Roland Garros is a magnificent place and I hope Grand Slam tennis is played there for as long as tennis is played.
From longroadofhair on Fri Nov 06 03:26PM
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The French Open would not be the French Open without the hallowed clay of Roland Garros.
The four Majors are sacrosanct: they cannot be moved from their host-countries, nor can a fifth Major ever be added.
From andrewbroad on Fri Nov 06 11:19PM
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may be it is in a way funny but at this point i totally agree with mr reed. i strongly think that french open shoud stay at roland garros. thanks
From h.athanasatou on Sat Nov 07 10:49AM
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To be honest the only open that should change is the US open it is the weakest of the slams. However as reed points out money talks so no change there. As for the French it should never leave Roland Garros it is truly unique.
From peterscott07 on Sun Nov 08 12:44PM
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To be honest the only open that should change is the US open it is the weakest of the slams. However as reed points out money talks so no change there. As for the French it should never leave Roland Garros it is truly unique.
From peterscott07 on Sun Nov 08 12:44PM
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I know a lot of you don't like the Australian Open and it is too far away but think of us folk down under who love the sport. We can't all get to Wimbledon or Roland Garros but we do love a great game of tennis especially when we have the top sportspeople there. We may be geographically further away but are hearts are in the game. We don't all like rugby. And it is so handy to nip acroos the tasman to Aussie to see the tennis.
From carolcoupland on Sun Nov 08 07:14PM
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