The infamous May rains have created quite the turbulence at the French Open. The second grand slam of the year has been facing trouble from day 1, but the weather has made it worse. To tackle the pauses and delays due to rain, the tournament director, Amélie Simone Mauresmo, is ready to implement changes that will impact all players, including the top seeds Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff, and Iga Swiatek.

Aside from Philippe Chatrier and Suzanne Lenglen, no other court in the Stade Roland Garros has a roof. Therefore, several matches have faced delays. At this moment, 10 matches stand suspended. Mauresmo is ready to implement changes to help tackle suspension. As per a fan on ‘X’, “Mauresmo just announced that matches will start at 10am on ALL courts tomorrow. So one more match on Chatrier. Security to be tightened, umpires have been asked to be more struck for disruptive actions during points. Mauresmo also said she’s sick of seeing the Chatrier empty.”

The earlier time means that the top players such as Alcaraz, Gauff, Swiatek, and even Novak Djokovic will not get the grace of starting in Chatrier at 12 pm while the rest start at 11 am on different courts.

Philippe Chatrier is the largest court in the tournament, which was filled to the brim in Rafael Nadal’s clash with Alexander Zverev. However, current matches are seemingly not drawing the audience in courts with roofs, despite most matches being suspended due to rain. 

While rains are hampering the smooth functioning of the tournament, the organizers have shown a weak command over scheduling venues. The backlash from fans shows that one of the most prestigious events in tennis is suffering. 

Scheduling Ben Shelton to a smaller court backfires for French Open organizers

As the American youngster was set to face Kei Nishikori, many were surprised that the two were set to play on Court 7. With a small seating capacity, fans created a huge line at the entrance, which frustrated many. The problematic placement left the fans to vent their feelings on social media. Some hoped that he would be moved to bigger courts, with some saying he could be placed in Chatrier or Lenglen in the second round itself.

Some changed their plans of visiting the tournament, while some called out France TV for providing seemingly troublesome coverage. The tournament has been plagued with scheduling errors for a long time. In 2023, the organizers shared a statement claiming no refunds will be initiated for any tickets, regardless of rain delays.

The French Tennis Federation has caused displeasure to the fans many times. The need to answer the issues is now, lest they invite more anger from the tennis world.