(Reuters) – The French Open will permit only 5,000 spectators per day following a recent spike in COVID-19 cases in the country, L’Equipe reported on Thursday.
The French Tennis Federation (FFT) had announced earlier this month that the tournament will allow a maximum of 11,500 fans per day at the claycourt major, which will be held at Roland Garros from Sept. 27-Oct. 11.
The FFT has been aiming to host daily crowds of 5,000 at both the Philippe-Chatrier and Suzanne-Lenglen showcourts while 1,500 fans were slated to watch matches at the smaller Simonne-Mathieu court.
The report said the tournament organisers are still looking to host 5,000 fans a day at Philippe-Chatrier but none on Suzanne-Lenglen or Simonne-Mathieu court.
French Open organisers could not be reached for comment.
France has recorded over 438,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 31,000 deaths, according to a Reuters tally.
A record 520,000 spectators attended last year’s French Open, according to organisers.
(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
