If the French Open wants to be sure to retain its Grand Slam status, it must invest in a new stadium. French Tennis Federation (FFT) president Christian Bimes believes that Roland Garros must evolve if it wants to avoid competition from possible new Grand Slam events in Asia or Europe.
“Roland Garros will not lose its Grand Slam status but I’m convinced that if we don’t make progress, there will one day be a fifth grand slam event in Asia and possibly a sixth in Europe,” Bimes told a news conference.
“The losers would be the French Open and Wimbledon. We want to avoid that at any cost.”
That’s why the FFT is planning to extend the Roland Garros stadium. The project features a new showcourt with a retractable roof and the French Open organizers hope it will be completed by 2011.
“We need this new stadium,” Bimes said. “We have all the technical authorizations but we need political backing. This is a crucial project.” (source: Reuters)
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