Paris: French Open tournament director Guy Forget trained his guns towards world No.1 Novak Djokovic and other tennis stars who took part in the Adria Open last month.
Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Victor Troicki all tested positive for COVID-19 after attending the Belgrade leg of the exhibition event.
Djokovic’s wife was also diagnosed with COVID-19 and also NBA star Nikola Jokic, who attended the event in the capital city of Serbia.
“Maybe some people were overconfident there,” Forget was quoted as telling Eurosport. “Luckily no one got hurt really bad but even a few cases is too much and we want to avoid that as much as we can.
“We want to reassure everyone that having people getting ill will be terrible for us. Let’s be really careful, really cautious,” he added.
The French Open was originally slated to be played in late May but due to coronavirus pandemic, the second Grand Slam of the year was postponed and will now take place between September 27 to October 11.
Forget said they would be following all necessary protocols put in place by the government for the safety of everyone involved in the tournament. He also gave an insight into the changes that will be there at this year’s tournament.
“If you come with a friend or with your wife, you will have to leave an empty seat next to you. No family can have more than four places side by side for major courts,” Forget said.
“For the other courts, there will always be a seat space so we are considering a 50 & 37 gauge compared to what we usually have at Roland Garros.
“For the ball kids, of course, we won’t let them pick up the towels as they are used to. It is easy to understand why. We want to protect as much as possible, not just the players but everyone who will be there for this tournament.
“Once again, we will follow to the letter what the Ministry of Sports and Health tells us to do. There will be tests. There will be toilets around the stadium so people can wash their hands regularly. We want to avoid contact as much as possible and keep appropriate space between people,” he added.
