Every year at Roland-Garros, the empty hospitality boxes by the center court are the only thing France has to offer that promises to make news in the tournament’s second week.
On Tuesday, May 28, France’s Alizé Cornet played the last singles match of her career on a partially deserted Philippe-Chatrier court. On Wednesday, two-thirds of the lower stands were empty for the defeat of her compatriot Caroline Garcia. Given the weather conditions, it’s hard to imagine that spectators had better things to do than watch the match, especially considering that the rain had forced tournament organizers to cancel matches on the side courts. Sure, the top French player’s match was scheduled for lunchtime, but the stands were just as sparse in the late afternoon for the spectacular clash between Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka, two four-time Grand Slam winners.
Even the evening sessions were not spared: The vintage match-up between Andy Murray and Stanislas Wawrinka failed to attract the crowds for the first evening of the fortnight. So far, only the improbable first-round match between Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev, which felt like a final, saw a full attendance – right up to the packed presidential box. It’s unfortunate, when all matches are supposed to be sold out, and exasperating for TV viewers. All the more so for spectators who had to wait in endless online queues in mid-March to get their precious ticket (on the Chatrier court, tickets cost between €55 and €450).
Center court sounds hollow while others are overflowing
Paradoxically, the central court, which is supposed to be the heart of the system, sounds hollow while elsewhere, the pot is overflowing. On all the other courts, as the day goes by, the stands come alive, get excited and sometimes go over the top – especially since the years of closed matches and Covid-19 restrictions. On Thursday, May 31, tournament director Amélie Mauresmo cracked down on the unruly behavior: “No more alcohol in the stands!”
The number of empty chairs has become more pronounced since the reconstruction of the central court (with the addition of a retractable roof), between the 2018 and 2019 editions. The construction could not have been carried out without the help of “new partners,” as Mauresmo’s predecessor Guy Forget told L’Equipe at the time. In other words, there was no question of moving the VIP boxes higher up, so that their emptiness would be less noticeable. That is the case, for example, at the US Open and Australian Open. (There are none on Wimbledon’s center court.)
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