A nationwide COVID-19 lockdown could force the postponement of the French Open, currently scheduled to run from May 23 to June 6 in Paris.
The lockdown went into effect Saturday. French president Emmanuel Macron said earlier this week that he expects to reopen the country in mid-May.
French Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu told France Info radio Saturday that her office is in talks with the French Tennis Federation, organizers of the French Open.
“We are in discussion with them to see if we should change the date to coincide with a possible resumption of all sports and major events,” Maracineanu said. “Today, although high-level sport has been preserved, we try to limit the risks of clusters, of spreading the virus within professional sports.”
Last year’s French Open was postponed four months due to the pandemic.
The clay-court tournament was held with limited crowds at Roland Garros in September and October, with Spain’s Rafael Nadal winning for the 13th time on the men’s side and Poland’s Iga Swiatek capturing her first grand slam title.
–Field Level Media