PARIS: Roland Garros got underway in the"ridiculous" cold of Paris on Sunday still in the grip of COVID-19 which organisers had hoped they would escape by unilaterally pushing back the clay court Grand Slam event by four months.AdvertisementOutside on the eerily quiet grounds of an event limited to just 1,000 fans it was a different story as temperatures dropped to a shivering 10 degrees Celsius.
Andy Murray takes on fellow three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka in the day's marquee tie in a rematch of their epic 2017 semi-final duel. Organisers had hoped to welcome 20,000 fans a day but in the space of just a few weeks, that figure was quickly downsized to 11,500, then 5,000 before the French government slashed it to a 1,000 maximum."Tens of millions of euros have gone up in smoke," said French Tennis Federation marketing chief Stephane Morel as he mourned the loss of ticket income.
Members of staff speak in front of a scoreboard as autumn chestnuts litter the grounds of Roland Garros. Two had tested positive while three others had been in contact with coach Petar Popovic who also tested positive. Inside the grounds of Roland Garros, situated in the prosperous western district of Paris, there are further signs of the effect of the pandemic which pushed the event back from its traditional May-June slot.A hand sanitiser at the entrance of one of the courts.
Wimbledon champion Halep is the favourite especially with US Open champion Naomi Osaka missing through injury.
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