Sonmez’s injury due to the restricted area past the baselines at Roland Garros is not an isolated incident among players.
With the Parisian heatwave leading to more rigid, springier court surfaces, competitors prefer positioning themselves more distantly from the baseline when returning serves.
Alexander Blockx from Belgium had to exit the men’s singles competition earlier this week, having twisted his right ankle after stepping onto a tarpaulin rain protector at the Jean Bouin training grounds, situated a short distance from Roland Garros.
Blockx communicated via social media that he “heard a snap” in his ankle, making a sarcastic remark about the “absolutely essential” covers.
The thirty-seventh-ranked player globally subsequently revised his online statement to omit any mention of the protective coverings.
In addition to advertising hoardings and protective sheeting, an extra impediment has emerged on the more compact outdoor courts at Roland Garros: human line judges.
Among the premier tennis championships, the French Open stands alone in its continued use of line judges.
Both the ATP and WTA circuits employ automated line calling systems, and Juan Manuel Cerundolo of Argentina finds it “extremely difficult” for participants to adapt.
Cerundolo defeated Jacob Fearnley of Britain on a more confined court, where officials acting as line judges were required to swiftly evade his path, prior to eliminating top-ranked Jannik Sinner on Court Philippe Chatrier.
“Playing with line judges feels strange, particularly on the more compact courts,” Cerundolo stated to BBC Sport.
“I’ve competed with line judges my entire career, but having played without them for the past year, it presents a significant change.
“One must be prepared not to strike them and instruct them to ‘please retreat and shift sideways’. Re-adaptation is necessary.”
