French Open organizers announced on Wednesday that players competing at the clay-court Grand Slam event will be allowed a daily one-hour window outside their social-distancing bubble.
Guy Forget, French Open Director, said players will have the chance to get out for a jog or enjoy some fresh air during their stay in Paris and insisted competitors are “extremely aware of the danger” caused by the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Forget also said the players won’t be put under surveillance.
“Our goal is not to put them in a necklace and attach them to their hotel or to the Roland Garros stadium,” Forget said.
Significantly, for the second consecutive year in a row the traditional French Open schedule has been disrupted by the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic as it was initially scheduled to start on May 23 but will now start on May 30.
Similarly, the 2020 edition of the event was pushed back to September because of the pandemic with crowds limited to 1,000 per day.