Players Call for Sponsorship Boards Removal Following Injury
Turkey's Zeynep Sonmez was unable to continue after an incident in only the third game of her French Open doubles match.
British player Katie Boulter has led calls for the French Open to remove on-court sponsorship boards after Sonmez reported tripping over one, which resulted in her requiring stitches.
Sonmez had to retire from her doubles match on Friday after colliding with one of the foot-high signs while chasing a ball.
The 24-year-old stated she sustained a bruised knee from the incident and needed two stitches.
"Do we really have to wait until a player is seriously injured before these courtside boards are removed?" Sonmez wrote on social media.
"Player safety must come first."
Boulter avoided injury in a similar incident during her singles match on Thursday but described the advertisement boards as an unnecessary hazard.
"These things have to go," Boulter wrote. "[I] got lucky last night but next time I might not be."
Four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek and Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk, who mentioned she avoids chasing some balls due to fear of injury, also expressed that the boards should be removed.
The French Tennis Federation (FFT) responded by stating it would make adjustments and maintain "ongoing communication with the players and their teams."
"All Roland-Garros courts currently exceed the international circuit minimum requirements regarding the distance between the baseline and the back of the court," a statement read.
"However, the tournament's priority remains the well-being of the players taking part.
With this in mind, and based on our own observations, adjustments are currently being made to the area around the playing surface."
How Boards, Covers and Line Judges Have Become Obstacles
Sonmez is not the first player to be injured due to the limited space behind the Roland Garros baselines.
The recent Paris heatwave has produced firmer, bouncier courts, prompting players to stand further behind the baseline to receive serves.
Belgium's Alexander Blockx was forced to withdraw from the men's singles earlier this week after spraining his right ankle when he landed on a tarpaulin rain cover at the Jean Bouin practice facility, located a short walk from Roland Garros.
Blockx shared on social media that he "heard a snap" in his ankle and sarcastically blamed the "really necessary" covers. The world number 37 later edited his post to remove the reference to the covers.
In addition to sponsorship boards and covers, line judges have also posed challenges on Roland Garros' smaller outdoor courts.
The French Open remains the only major tournament that still employs line judges.
Both the ATP and WTA Tours use electronic line calling, and Argentina's Juan Manuel Cerundolo commented that it is "very tough" for players to adjust.
Cerundolo defeated Britain's Jacob Fearnley on a smaller court, where line judges had to quickly move out of his way, before eliminating top seed Jannik Sinner on Court Philippe Chatrier.
"It is weird to play with line judges - especially on the shorter courts," Cerundolo told .
"I played all my life with line judges but now over the last year we played without them so it is very different.
You have to be ready to not hit them and say 'please go back and move to the side'. You have to adapt again."
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