French Open stars beg to postpone matches as tennis chiefs given fresh headache

The third round of the men’s singles at the French Open is set to clash with Paris Saint-Germain’s crucial Champions League final against Inter Milan on Saturday night

French Open organisers will be forced to deal with an unwanted clash of sporting schedules on Saturday, with the Champions League final causing problems on and off the court. Paris Saint-Germain take on Inter Milan in European football’s biggest club match in Munich – and the game is sure to disrupt events in the French capital.

PSG are aiming to lift the Champions League trophy for the first time on Saturday night and their pursuit of glory has caused some conflicts for players. Les Parisiens are followed by a handful of the players competing at Roland Garros, including Arthur Fils, who is from a suburb of Paris.

Fils plays Jaume Munar in the second round of the French Open on Thursday, knowing that victory could bring him a painful schedule clash with his beloved PSG on Saturday night. “I plan to go to the match,” Fils joked when asked about the potential issue.

“No, it’s a huge final. I’ll watch it from my room. I don’t want to waste energy on it, but I’ll be fully invested.” He then joked: “Let me play my match on Thursday then I’ll go and have a word with Amelie,” referring to the tournament director Amelie Mauresmo.

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Joking aside, it is an issue for Mauresmo to consider, with attendances for Saturday evening’s third-round matches potentially taking a hit, with thousands of Parisiens instead choosing to watch PSG vs Inter in the city’s bars.

PSG star Ousmane Dembele was at the French Open drawer ceremony, while his team-mates Achraf Fakimi, Nuno Mendes, Desire Doue and Joao Neves attended Roland Garros on Monday to watch Carlos Alcaraz’s first-round match.

Dembele is a friend of fellow Frenchman Ugo Humbert, who plays Britain’s Jacob Fearnley in the second round on Thursday and is hoping for a morning match on Saturday if he gets through. “More like the start of the day,” he smiled when asked about the clash. “While we’re recovering – 11 a.m. is very good!”

Gael Monfils will play British No.1 Jack Draper on Thursday for a place in the third round, but even if he loses there is another potential problem, with his wife Elina Svitolina also in the competition. “For the moment, I don’t have a ticket (for the final in Munich),” he said. “But you have to remember that I have my wife. Getting a ticket isn’t a problem, [but] we’ll also have to see if I can go.”

Defending champion Alcaraz may be a Real Madrid fan, but he’s backing PSG on Saturday night. “Of course I will watch it,” he said. “I watch football, I watch him [Dembele] a lot as a huge fan of La Liga, and when you were playing in Barcelona you made some trouble and some pain for us [Real Madrid].

“Yeah, I’m going to watch the final. And, honestly, I’ve told everyone that I’m supporting PSG this time.”

Jannik Sinner said: “As an Italian, I say that it would be nice to see an Italian team win. [PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi] Donnarumma is also here. We’ve been good friends for a long time, we know each other well and for me it was an honour to see him in my box.”

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