It wasn't supposed to be like this – but it's still a pretty amazing roof!
On Saturday May 23rd, the new roof above Court Philippe Chatrier was supposed to be feted for all the world to see. It would have been the day before main draw action started at the 2020 French Open. Coronavirus had other ideas, unfortunately, but today the Roland Garros website share photos of the fabled court with the roof closed, and it looked quite magical.
🏟️ What does Centre Court at Roland-Garros look like with its retractable roof? We take a look 👉 https://t.co/c9L1TPnt9K#RolandGarros
📸 C. Guibbaud / FFT pic.twitter.com/oCqjlh8eQd
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 22, 2020
The roof’s 11 trusses can be opened in about 15 minutes. Each truss weights 330 metric tons, and the whole project took about eight months from start to finish.
The roof is one of the final upgrades to grounds that have undergone significant renovations over the last half decade. Last year we saw the introduction of Court Simonne Mathieu, a gorgeous, medium-sized show court nestled in the Jardin des serres d’auteuil greenhouse in a far east corner of the grounds.
This year the fabled Bullring, officially called Court 1, was to give way to a garden full of statues to make more space for pedestrians to gather and enjoy the matches on a video screen.
The tournament is still scheduled to take place from September 20 to October 4, but many top players and officials are skeptical about actually making it happen as the Coronavirus figures worldwide hit 5 million this week and continue to grow.
