French Open reduced to 5,000 fans on Chatrier; Moscow, Linz canceled

The French Open has announced it now plans to have 5,000 spectators a day on site, down from an initial projection of 11,500 spectators

That represents around 15 percent of the tournament's usual attendance, and down sharply from its original aim of having around 20,000 spectators a day for the rescheduled event.

The tournament said the new requirements were imposed by the Paris police department, in line with national regulations that put a 5,000 person limit on gatherings.

"Since the beginning of the health crisis, the French Tennis Federation has worked hand in hand with the state," the FFT said in a statement.

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The amount of coronavirus cases has been rising in France, reaching more than 10,000 a day.

According to L'Equipe, there will now only be seating on Chatrier, the largest court on the 12 hectare grounds.

The ATP and WTA Moscow events, scheduled for a month's time, will not be played because of "uncertainty" surrounding the pandemic, announced the tours.

The WTA event in Linz, slotted for the week prior to Moscow, will also not be played as scheduled. Organizers said they were looking at dates during the next few weeks.

The French tennis federation is providing refunds on request for ticket sales.