Roland Garros tournament director Amelie Mauresmo confirmed that the timeslot for the Grand Slam’s night session will be brought forward by half an hour this year.
“It will start at 8 p.m. (local time) with an interactive show and the first point will be played at 8:30 p.m.,” Mauresmo confirmed during a news conference. Last year, the players’ warm-ups on Court Philippe Chatrier were scheduled to begin at 8:45 pm.
The change comes amid criticism of the tournament’s previous schedule due to the lack of public transportation available to fans following the conclusion of the night matches. The Paris metro stops running at about 1:15 am.
Colloquially known as the French Open, the tournament has also drawn criticism for typically scheduling men’s matches as the flagship matches of the day.
Mauresmo also touched on the issue of cyberbullying, stating during the news conference that Roland Garros would recruit the services of a company to erase insulting messages on social media to protect players’ mental well-being.
Roland Garros runs from May 28 until June 11.
