Paris Will Get Retractable Roof at Roland Garros

Written by: Staff on 11th June 2012

Paris Will Get Retractable Roof at Roland Garros |

Some players have expressed a desire for the French Tennis Federation to install lights on the stadiums at Roland Garros, but that wish won’t be granted until 2017 when the main stadium, Court Philippe Chatrier, puts in place a retractable roof and lights in 2017.

Currently, the city of Paris does not approve of night play. With the amount of investment that the FFT is pouring into the renovation of the entire site, there is no way that it will go for temporary fixes. The overall cost of the project is estimated at $341 million dollars, with the City of Paris contributing $25 million

There are plans for night sessions once the stadium is completed. The reconfigured site will stretch over 31.6 acres compared with the 21.5 of the current configuration.

The FFT is attempting to redesign the site to give it more of a village feeling. The site will have a total of 35 clay courts as well as a new National Training Centre.

During the French Open each year, the tournament will also use neighboring gardens next door. That location will house a new 5,000-seat court as well as a garden-style walkway. Another area, called the “Fond des Princes,” is currently used by the City of Paris and will also be incorporated into the new site.

“We hope to file all building permits in late 2012 for early work in 2014,” said Gilbert Ysern Director General of the FFT. ” We will start building the new court in the gardens, with the hope of finishing 2015.

We will then remove the current Court 1 (the famous Bullring) between the 2015 and 2016 tournaments then expand the stadium.”

Once Roland Garros puts its roof on, the US Open will be the only Grand Slam without one.