No Roof, No Problem: Why Rain Delays Shouldn’t Lead to Change at the French Open

As rain drowned out another day at the 2016 French Open, tournament officials received more criticism about Roland Garros’ roofless venue. 

“Build a roof,” critics cried. 

Ignore the critics, Roland Garros. Don’t change. Instead, please remain your charming, roofless, no-Hawkeye using, lights-out go home self. Because in this “twitterfic, instagraphic, selfie snapping, snap-chatting” world, holding to tradition seems rather revolutionary. 

On Monday, heavy rain washed out an entire day of competition for the first time in 16 years. Tournament officials had to cancel more matches on Tuesday. 

Players complained. Fans groaned. 

Exasperated by the non-stop rain, French Open tournament director Guy Forget told the Associated French Press agency (AFP), via Dave James of Yahoo Sports: 

It is very frustrating but it is proof that the roof is a necessity and that we have to do it. We cannot be like this for many more years. We hope to have the roof by 2020. People have to realize that nobody can stop the process. The world is moving fast — we were talking about the roof 15 years ago.

Yes, they’ve been talking about this roof for some time now. However, the French Open has been around for 125 years. It’s the smallest of all the Slams and has survived without a roof, Hawkeye and lights. In fact, the absence of those things is what makes the French Open the cozy, quirky and quaint Grand Slam. 

Why must every sporting event be turned into a gladiator-style spectacle? Who needs nosebleed seats at a tennis match? Whatever Roland Garros gains with a roof, it will lose in charm.  

This fall, the U.S. Open is set to unveil its newly installed retractable roof over Arthur Ashe stadium. Wimbledon and the Australian Open already have retractable roofs.

The French are the last hold outs, and many are unhappy about that. 

In 2012, the men’s final between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic experienced several rain delays. 

This prompted The Guardian’s Kevin Mitchell to write a scathing piece on the French Open and that it lagged behind other tournaments. “It took the drenched 2001 final between Pat Rafter and Goran Ivanisevic to convince Wimbledon they needed a roof. Melbourne also has a roof. Paris, as ever, remains aloof, roofless — and a laughing stock.”

If only there was a job offer out there for a …

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