Tournaments Gstaad and Lausanne are scheduled for late July, after Wimbledon if it had happened. For the moment no cancellation planned but if their Director Jean-François Collet tries to remain optimistic, he remains aware of the risk of cancellation and is not certain thatAlbert Ramos Vinolas and Fiona Ferro will have successors this year: “I am fairly realistic and I suspect that we are likely to be next on the list during the next cancellation block which should take place six to eight weeks before the competitions. But that leaves us at least still hoping for a clear improvement by May “. It would be a shame because according to him a raised table can be hoped: “if our tournaments are maintained, we could have some pretty beautiful posters because everyone will want to find their way to the courts. “
Mahut: “Tennis will go through a very difficult period”
Sports equity in question
But like everyone else Collet hopes above all that the health situation is stabilized for the safety of all: “But before you think about it, you have to think about everyone’s health. This is the most important point. ” And even if we can hope that in Europe, currently at the heart of the epidemic, it will get better in three and a half months, this will not necessarily be the case all over the planet. We are thinking in particular of South America, where the epidemic is still in its infancy. Will all borders be reopened? Because tennis is a sport which leads to many international trips, throughout the year unlike Football, in particular, where players first play national championships. This therefore breaks a problem of sports equity: “We can always hope for a miracle. But we don’t just need improvement in Switzerland. There needs to be an overall improvement. Because if it is always complicated in South America, we are not going to ban registrations for these players. It would not be correct at all. So the probability still seems low. Currently, everyone is looking for solutions. Play behind closed doors. Put the players in quarantine two weeks before their arrival on site. But I wonder if there is really a formula satisfactory “then confides Jean-François Collet.
How are the Gstaad and Lausanne tournaments prepared under these conditions?
The other major concern is the preparation of the infrastructure when everything is at a standstill, as well as the fear of incurring costs in an event that may not ultimately take place. Without pandemic insurance, you have to organize: “We pretend it will happen. What we have put in place now is to delay as much as possible the costs related to the installation of infrastructure. Because the rest of the personnel or marketing costs are already effective. However, there are ways to limit the damage in the points mentioned above. As for the engagement bonuses for the players, they are not guaranteed, so this is not a concern. “
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