"Huge injustice" in Rome: exclusion of spectators angered tennis association
While the French Open in Paris (from September 27th) will be played in front of spectators, the Masters tournament in Rome starting next Monday will have to take place in front of empty grandstands - which is causing a lot of resentment at the Italian Tennis Association.
by SID / tennisnet
last edit:
Sep 08, 2020, 08:31 pm
"It is a huge injustice," complained association president Angelo Binaghi on Tuesday, also with regard to other sporting events in Italy.
While Formula 1 in Mugello or MotoGP in Misano are allowed to drive in front of a few spectators, the health authorities have rejected a concept for the tennis tournament in Rome for around 6,000 visitors a day in four different zones. Binaghi called this "absurd" and complained about a lack of support from regional politicians.
"The damage is enormous. If we had known that beforehand, we would have organized the tournament in another region, for example in Genoa or in Apulia," said Binaghi. Tickets that have already been purchased will be reimbursed to fans with vouchers that are 25 percent higher than the actual purchase price.
The organizers of the French Open announced on Monday that a total of 11,500 spectators per day would be admitted to the facility. The tournament is to be divided into three independent clusters around the Court Philippe Chatrier (capacity: 15,000), the Court Suzanne Lenglen (10,000) and the Court Simonne Mathieu (5,000). 5,000 spectators are allowed on Lenglen and Chatrier, 1,500 on Mathieu, and it is not possible to switch between seats. In the qualification, however, no spectators are allowed.