Milos Raonic says players should not have been left to hear about the postponement of Roland Garros on social media.France’s struggles to get on top of a third COVID-19 wave prompted the decision to delay the start of the second Grand Slam of the season by a week.
Although it doesn’t sound like much, it means the grass season has been reduced to just two weeks.
Players will now likely be forced into scheduling decisions to make sure they get sufficient time on grass before Wimbledon, and Raonic is unhappy that they were the last to know.
“Crazy to learn about this from Twitter,” Raonic said. “This greatly impacts the players and we’re given no heads-up.
“Even some communication shortly before the rest of the world would be nice.”
Crazy to learn about this from Twitter. This greatly impacts the players and we are given no heads up.
Even some communication shortly before the rest of the world would be nice. https://t.co/CB03LOj1NT
It is the second year in a row that Roland Garros has been criticised for the sudden postponement of the tournament, although this year’s is not as severe in terms of dates.
In 2020, the other tennis governing bodies were unhappy that organisers moved unilaterally without consultation.
This year, though, the ATP, WTA, and the other three Grand Slams have all released statements saying they were in full support and confirming discussions were held before the decision.
