(Paris) Will come, will not come, will play or not, if so, how to schedule your matches? Rafael Nadal asks many questions to the organizers of Roland-Garros (May 26-June 9) who are delighted with the commissioning of the new roof on the Suzanne-Lenglen court.
“We keep our fingers crossed, for him (Nadal, Editor’s note) but also for us because we want to welcome him here at Roland-Garros. He is at home and he knows it,” commented Thursday during a press conference presenting the 2024 edition, tournament director Amélie Mauresmo, in reference to the physical difficulties experienced by Nadal in his return to the circuit.
The Spaniard, who will turn 38 on June 3 in the middle of Roland-Garros, must play his third match on clay since his 14th birthday at the Masters 1000 in Madrid on Thursday.e title in Paris… in 2022.
Last week, he was logically beaten in the second round in Barcelona by the Australian Alex De Minaur.
“Knowing whether there will be a tribute or not, this year, next year, is very dependent on him and the decisions he makes. We are waiting to see and we will follow his wishes,” insisted Mauresmo.
This year, the tournament will in any case benefit from a second retractable roof, on the Suzanne-Lenglen court, after that of Philippe-Chatrier.
“This roof will allow us, in the event of bad weather, to have a little more flexibility in our programming and in the progress of the matches throughout this fortnight,” underlined Mauresmo.
However, she ruled out “for security reasons” the possibility of organizing night sessions there like on the Central.
This roof, whose structure is lighter than that of the Chatrier roof, closes in around fifteen minutes.
It will be officially inaugurated on Sunday May 26, during the first day of the main draw, but “can be used during the qualifying week” if necessary, added Mauresmo.