Roland Garros, the prestigious French Grand Slam, opened its doors on Sunday with the usual glamour and tension of clay court tennis, but also with a debate that has sparked conversations on and off the circuit: the distribution of the main courts. As the first few days of the tournament unfold, the organisers’ decisions about which players occupy the Philippe Chatrier, the main court, and which are relegated to the Suzanne Lenglen or even other courts have not gone unnoticed.
The most striking case was that of Carlos Alcaraz. The young Spaniard, champion of the tournament in 2024 and one of the favorites this year, was not scheduled on the Philippe Chatrier for his debut. Instead, he had to play his first match on the Suzanne Lenglen court. Although this is also a top-level court, with a capacity for more than 10,000 spectators and a vibrant atmosphere, many have interpreted the decision as disrespectful to the reigning champion.
And it has not been an isolated case. Arthur Fils, France’s number one tennis player and one of the country’s most promising players, also began his campaign outside the Chatrier. And on Monday, Alexander Zverev, a finalist in last year’s edition, will follow the same path: his debut will also take place in the Lenglen, away from the tournament’s main focus. The trend is clear. The organisers are opting for a distribution that prioritises the visibility of the Suzanne Lenglen rather than concentrating all the attention on the historic Chatrier.
A media strategy
Everything indicates that the intention behind this move is to balance the prestige between the two main courts of the Parisian complex. With a completely covered Suzanne Lenglen for two editions now, the argument is that there is no longer any justification for continuing to treat it as the ‘younger sister’ of the Philippe Chatrier.
In the stands, opinion is mixed. Many French fans celebrate the decision to democratize the big matches and take them to more courts, allowing a greater number of fans to enjoy stellar matches live. But others believe that the spirit of the big stages is being distorted.
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