How to Watch the 2020 French Open — and Which Players to Look Out for
Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty
After being delayed from May to September, the 2020 French Open is officially underway.
The annual tennis tournament began on September 21 and will run through October 11 at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France.
Unlike the U.S. Open held earlier this month, some fans will be allowed to attend the Grand Slam tournament in person, despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The stadium will allow spectators to fill up about 50 percent of its capacity, though the early qualifying rounds will have no fans in the stands, according to a statement from the French Tennis Federation.
Here’s everything fans need to know about watching the sports event from home.
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Cameron Spencer/Getty 2018 French Open
When:
The French Open is being held from Sept. 21 to Oct. 11, with the qualifying rounds ending on Saturday.
The first round of singles play will begin on Sunday, Sept. 27. The women's singles final is Saturday, Oct. 10 and the men's singles final is Oct. 11.
Where:
For those who don’t have tickets to see the tournament live in Paris, the French Open will be broadcast on NBC Sports and the Tennis Channel daily.
Fans can tune into the Tennis Channel through cable or through a variety of streaming services, including fuboTV, Sling TV, AT&T TV NOW, and YouTube TV.
Dave Shopland/BPI/REX/Shutterstock Serena Williams at the 2019 French Open
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Who:
The top competition at the French Open is looking different from the U.S. Open earlier this month, with women’s champion Naomi Osaka opting out due to a hamstring injury and the tight turnaround from the previous tournament.
Last year’s French Open winner, Ashleigh Barty, will also not be playing, citing concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. That leaves Romania’s Simona Halep, the 2018 champion, leading the women’s field as Serena Williams seeks to tie the overall Grand Slam singles record (Australia’s Margaret Court currently holds the record of 24 wins).
Aflo/Shutterstock Rafael Nadal
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The men’s field is led by Rafael Nadal, who decided not to play in the U.S. Open due to concerns about COVID-19. Nadal is looking to tie Roger Federer’s record of 20 men's major singles titles. If he wins, he would also break his own record of 12 French Open crowns.
Federer is out of competition play until the start of 2021 because of a surgery on his right knee, leaving Nadal and Novak Djokovic — the favorite in the U.S. Open until he was disqualified — as the top seeds.
