Tennis

5:13 PM ET The 2020 French Open begins Sunday with only 1,000 spectators allowed on site, questions about whether France’s coronavirus cases will continue to rise and the debut of the new $55 million retractable roof atop Court Philippe Chatrier. The French Open normally starts in May but was postponed this year because of the

10:17 AM ET Tennis fans haven’t had much time to catch their collective breath following a wild and unusual US Open, but in this, the strangest sporting year of any of our lifetimes, it’s time to turn the clock back to mid-May and gear up for the 2020 French Open at Roland Garros. The shortest

4:49 PM ET Associated Press PARIS — Former top 10 player Fernando Verdasco said he has been dropped from the French Open because of what he believes is a false positive result on a coronavirus test. He had played in 67 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments until missing this year’s US Open. Verdasco, 36, wrote Friday

8:28 AM ET The French Open, which begins Sunday in Paris, is working like most every other sporting event under strict health protocols because of the coronavirus pandemic. The organizers of the event, which was postponed from its late spring time slot because of the health crisis, are hoping to make a bold statement. “We

3:47 AM ET Associated Press PARIS — Already repeatedly trimmed, crowd sizes for the French Open have been reduced again — to just 1,000 spectators per day — because of the worsening coronavirus epidemic in Paris. The new limit, reduced from 5,000 per day, was first announced by Prime Minister Jean Castex on Thursday night.

8:42 PM ET D’Arcy Maine Peter Bodo Close ESPN.com Staff Writer Peter Bodo has been covering tennis for over 35 years, mostly recently for ESPN. He is a former WTA Writer of the Year and the author of numerous books, including the classic “The Courts of Babylon” and the New York Times bestseller (with Pete

8:39 PM ET The 2020 French Open is underway after the Grand Slam was postponed from May to September because of the coronavirus pandemic. Unlike the US Open, 5,000 fans will be allowed to attend per day. Three-time defending champion and men’s favorite Rafael Nadal looks to tie Roger Federer‘s record of 20 men’s major

1:51 PM ET Associated Press PARIS — Rafael Nadal will begin his bid for a record-extending 13th French Open title against Egor Gerasimov in the first round, while Serena Williams starts her attempt for a record-equaling 24th major against Kristie Ahn in all-American matchup. Nadal, 34, who is seeded second and has never faced the

5:33 PM ET Associated Press French tennis player Benoit Paire was allowed to compete at the Hamburg Open despite twice testing positive for the coronavirus, he said Wednesday. Paire retired from his opening-round match while trailing Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-0 on Wednesday with what the ATP Tour said was “dizziness.” Paire withdrew from the U.S.

7:38 AM ET It’s a sight as emblematic of the French Open as white socks deeply stained by red clay dust: The chair umpire climbs down from the lofty perch and jogs over to inspect a skid mark in the clay near a white line. He or she inspects the mark, sometimes bending to peer

5:45 AM ET Associated Press Daniil Medvedev lost his first match since reaching the US Open semifinals as he was beaten 6-4, 6-3 on Tuesday by unseeded French player Ugo Humbert in the first round of the Hamburg European Open. The top-seeded Medvedev was a break up at 4-3 in the first set but was

3:15 PM ET Associated Press PARIS — A tennis coach who failed a coronavirus test for the French Open, forcing his player’s withdrawal from qualifying for the Grand Slam tournament, sharply criticized organizers on Tuesday for their handling of the case. Damir Dzumhur, a former top-30 player from Bosnia now ranked 114th, traveled to Paris

1:02 PM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 US Open champion, announced on Tuesday she will not be playing in the upcoming French Open and will sit out the remainder of the 2020 season. “I have come to the difficult decision to skip the clay court swing this year and will be taking the

3:49 PM ET Associated Press NEWPORT, R.I. — Billie Jean King and the other members of the Original 9 who laid the groundwork for the women’s professional tennis tour are the first group nominated together for the International Tennis Hall of Fame. They join Jonas Bjorkman, Sergi Bruguera, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Lleyton Hewitt, Lisa Raymond

5:42 PM ET Associated Press PARIS — One woman who was entered in French Open qualifying tested positive for the coronavirus and was dropped from the field Monday. The French tennis federation did not identify the player, who must isolate for seven days, the federation said. Women’s qualifying is scheduled to begin Tuesday. The news

1:38 PM ET World No. 1 Novak Djokovic overcame a sluggish start to lift his fifth Italian Open title on Monday, defeating Argentine Diego Schwartzman 7-5, 6-3 for a record 36th ATP Masters crown. Playing his maiden ATP 1000 final, eighth seed Schwartzman raced out of the blocks to convert two break point opportunities for

10:02 AM ET Top seed Simona Halep claimed the Italian Open in Rome on Monday after second seed Karolina Pliskova retired from the final with injury when she was down 6-0, 2-1. Halep raced into a 5-0 lead in the opening set, breaking the defending champion three times and also saved three break points at

5:46 AM ET World No. 1 Ash Barty may have decided to skip the US and French Opens but the coronavirus pandemic has not prevented her from collecting trophies and as of Sunday she was women’s champion at the Brookwater Golf Club. The 24-year-old Australian, who famously played professional cricket during a year out from