French Open 2021: Schedule, Live telecast in India, draws, dates — All you need to know about Rolland Garros 2021 – The Roland-Garros tournament, whose 2021 edition will be held from 24th May to 13th June, will have the privilege of being France’s first sporting event to welcome back spectators this spring. It will be the 125th edition of the French Open and the second Grand Slam event of 2021. The main singles draws will include 16 qualifiers for men and 16 for women out of 128 players in each draw, the last Grand Slam implementing to have 128 women qualifiers instead of 96 in previous years in line with the other three majors.
Men’s Singles Seeded Players
Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal,Dominic Thiem, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, Matteo Berrettini, Gaël Monfils, Denis Shapovalov, Roberto Bautista Agut, David Goffin, Diego Schwartzman, Andrey Rublev, Fabio Fognini, Karen Khachanov, Stan Wawrinka, Pablo Carreño Busta, Grigor Dimitrov, Félix Auger-Aliassime, Cristian Garín, John Isner, Dušan Lajović, Benoît Paire, Borna Ćorić, Alex de Minaur, Filip Krajinović, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud,Hubert Hurkacz, Jan-Lennard Struff, Nikoloz Basilashvili, Dan Evans
Men’s Wild-Card Players for Main Draw
Andy Murray, Elliot Benchetrit, Hugo Gaston, Quentin Halys, Antoine Hoang, Maxime Janvier, Harold Mayot, Arthur Rinderknetch.
Women’s Singles Seeded Players
Simona Halep, Karolína Plíšková, Elina Svitolina, Sofia Kenin, Kiki Bertens, Serena Williams, Petra Kvitová, Aryna Sabalenka, Johanna Konta, Victoria Azarenka, Garbiñe Muguruza, Madison Keys, Petra Martić, Elena Rybakina, Markéta Vondroušová, Elise Mertens, Anett Kontaveit, Angelique Kerber, Alison Riske, Maria Sakkari, Jennifer Brady, Karolína Muchová, Yulia Putintseva, Dayana Yastremska, Amanda Anisimova, Donna Vekić, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Sloane Stephens, Ons Jabeur, Magda Linette, Barbora Strýcová
Women’s Wild-Card Players for Main Draw
Eugenie Bouchard, Clara Burel, Elsa Jacquemot, Chloe Paquet, Pauline Parmentier, Diane Parry, Tsvetana Pironkova, Harmony Tan
The Roland-Garros tournament will adapt its spectator capacity according to the restrictions in place as the lockdown is gradually lifted in France, the various stages of which were announced by the French President on 29th April.
After the first week of qualifying matches, which are always intense, the main draw will kick off on Sunday 30th May with four matches scheduled on the show courts and plenty of matches to watch on the outside courts, from 11 am onwards.
Also Read: Australian Open 2022 will stay in Melbourne, says tournament director Craig Tiley
Spectators in French Open
In terms of spectator capacity, here are the three phases to keep in mind:
· From 24th to 28th May, the qualifying rounds will be played without spectators.
· From 30th May to 8th June, the stadium will welcome 5,388 spectators per day. Each “ERP” can be used to 35% of its total capacity, welcoming up to a maximum of 1,000 spectators.
· From 9th June, Philippe-Chatrier court will be allowed to welcome 5,000 people, but only spectators with a “health pass” will be granted access to the stadium. The number of spectators allowed inside the stadium will be gradually increased to 13,146 spectators in total on 9th and 10th June. Each “ERP” will be used to 65% of its total capacity, for a maximum of 5,000 spectators in each.
Night sessions for the first time
From 31st May to 9th June: one match scheduled at 9 pm every day on Philippe-Chatrier
Equipped with a roof since the 2020 tournament, the Philippe-Chatrier court will host night sessions for the first time this year. From 31st May to 9th June, there will be three matches scheduled on Centre Court during the day, from 12 noon, plus a fourth match scheduled to start at 9 pm. Each of the ten-night sessions will feature one of the day’s top-billed matches (men’s or women’s singles)
Health and safety protocols?
From player areas to spectator seating, masks to social distancing, hand sanitiser dispensers to “contact tracing”, various health and safety measures are being rolled out.
At the same time, a number of outdoor seating areas are being set up within the stadium grounds. This year only, spectators will be allowed to eat at their seats on the courts.
Where can I watch French Open live in India?
Indian fans can tune in to Star Sports, while fans in Pan-Asia regions can switch to Fox Sports to watch the French Open live.
What about prize money?
“With the prize money awarded at the 2021 tournament, Roland-Garros is continuing to support those players who are going through a difficult time, financially speaking,” stressed Roland-Garros tournament director Guy Forget. “Since we have balanced out the men’s and women’s qualifying draws, the male and female players are now on an equal footing.”
In 2021, the prize money will be “more or less the same as in 2020” with a total prize fund of €34,367,215.
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