The Ligurian tennis player’s intestinal virus canceled the first Italian semi-final in the history of the Slams. The tournament organization has decided to refund all ticket holders by June 30th
Matteo Arnaldi’s withdrawal one hour before his first Slam semifinal, at Roland Garros, was a hard blow for everyone. Especially for the many fans, Italian and otherwise, who flocked to Paris to enjoy what should have been the first all-blue semi-final in the history of the Slams. A match that was never actually played, as had only happened twice before in the Open Era. And never at the red Slam. The only “happy” note, if we can call it that, is that ticket holders for the second semi-final, yesterday at 7pm, will be entitled to a full refund of what they spent. A decision taken immediately, as soon as Arnaldi’s withdrawal became official, by the Roland Garros organisation.
procedure
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“These are things we cannot control, we immediately communicated to the public that there would be a full refund of the tickets. The procedures will be explained in detail on the Roland Garros website and via email”, Amelie Mauresmo, tournament director, said shortly after the event. The match, not having even been played, gives the right to a refund, by decision of the organization in light of the specific circumstances. If instead Arnaldi had chosen to try to overcome the intestinal virus, but ended up withdrawing after a few games, the general conditions of the Roland Garros tickets (which are subscribed to upon purchase) would not have provided for any refund. In fact, the match would have been judged over in any case. In light of the flat rate, however, it was decided to fully refund 15,000 tickets. Many buyers have already received what they spent, others are waiting. However, the wait will not go beyond June 30th, as written in the “tickets” section of the tournament website. Fans coming from Italy, who obviously will not be able to request refunds for travel and accommodation, will be able to console themselves with a minimal part of their financial return. Softening, at least in part, the disappointment of not having been able to enjoy a match that would have been historic.