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French Open Begins To Expand Facilities, Add Roof Over Centre Court

After "years of legal battles," the French Open has "begun to expand its facilities, hoping to match other grand slam events -- including having a roof over Centre Court to banish weather delays -- while preserving its Parisian pizzazz," according to Julien Pretot of REUTERS. Roland Garros "lags behind the other three grand slams in terms of covered courts" -- the Australian Open has a roof over three courts, the U.S. Open will have a second roof by '18 and Wimbledon will add a second one by '19. The French Open has none, which has had an "adverse effect on revenue" from TV rights since, with a court roof, play is guaranteed no matter "how bad the weather may get." The expanded Roland Garros will be delivered in '19 with the roof over Centre Court available by '20, according to Jean-Francois Martins, a deputy mayor of Paris in charge of sports. Court One will be replaced with the "Court des Serres" (Greenhouse Court), "flanked by tropical vegetation, and the number of seats increased from 3,600 to 5,000." French Tennis Federation (FFT) President Bernard Giudicelli "believes the Parisian flair of the French Open will be preserved in the expansion of Roland Garros." Giudicelli said, "If we decided to stay in Paris (after other plans were drafted to move to the outskirts), it is because we wanted to keep this Parisian identity. Roland Garros is Paris, it's France, its savoir-faire, it's elegance and glam. And the Court des Serres will show just that" (REUTERS, 5/25).

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