French Open to stay at Roland Garros, site to be revamped
President of the French Tennis Federation, Jean Gachassin, has announced that the French Open will continue to be played on the outskirts of Paris at the iconic Roland Garros site.
Three groups had made bids to host tennis’ prestigious event on different parts of the French capital. The alternative sites under consideration were: Gonesse, which is located on the north of Le Bourget airport, Versailles to the west and Marne-la-Vallee
which is in the vicinity of Disneyland to the east. Gonesse and Versailles were eliminated, while 70 percent of the votes were given to Roland Garros over Marne-la- Vallee.
Roland Garros is comparatively smaller to other Grand Slam sites in New York, London and Melbourne. However, tradition was preferred over size, and it was decided that the location for the French Open will not be changed. In addition, the Roland Garros site
will now be expanded and revamped.
World class players such as Spaniard Rafael Nadal did not favour of the change of location.
“Roland Garros should remain here, because here we can breathe the history of tennis within these walls. It’s very important, whereas if we move elsewhere, maybe the site is going to be bigger, we’re going to lose part of our soul,” the five time French
Open winner had said.
The French Open has been played at Roland Garros since 1928. Roland Garros currently has 20 outside courts spread over 21 acres of land. The shortage of space frequently causes the players and spectators to complain.
The new Rolland Garros is set to be completed by 2016. It will cost an estimated $340 million, and will include 35 outside courts, a new 5,000-seat stadium and a new press centre.
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