Roland Garros bracing for bizarre Saturday as Champions League final looms
PARIS :Roland Garros is bracing for a surreal Saturday evening when the biggest noise around the French Open might come not from the courts, but from the nearby Parc des Princes, where tens of thousands of Paris St Germain fans will gather to watch their team contest the Champions League final against Inter Milan.
Some 40,000 PSG supporters are expected to watch a screening at their home stadium, 750 metres from the French Open grounds, where around 15,000 tennis fans will fill Court Philippe-Chatrier for the night session starting at 2000 local time.
With the Champions League final kicking off at 2100, authorities are bracing for both sets of spectators to spill out onto the streets of western Paris around the same time — a potential flashpoint in a city still on edge after PSG's semi-final victory over Arsenal earlier this month sparked looting and clashes with police.
French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo said organisers were in close coordination with police to ensure the evening runs smoothly.
"Metro line 9 was supposed to be closed, but it will stay open all weekend, which means people can arrive and leave in good conditions," Mauresmo told reporters on Friday.
"Everything around the stadium grounds is being managed by the police teams. They've secured the perimeter and are handling what needs to be done. On our side, we're managing operations inside and immediately around the stadium, while the police prefecture is in charge of everything beyond that perimeter."
Paris police chief Laurent Nunez confirmed 5,400 officers would be deployed across the capital on Saturday, with the Champs-Elysees and streets around the Arc de Triomphe closed from midday as a precaution, in light of a recent incident in Liverpool where a car ploughed into a crowd of football fans.
As for whether the football frenzy might distract from the tennis, Mauresmo was relaxed.
"I'm not sure you can stop someone from checking the score on their phone," she smiled. "We're obviously vigilant and have security measures in place. But it's like the Olympics — people follow other events.
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