The French Open facilities at the Roland Garros stadium near Paris are cramped into a mere 22 acres, which forces the organizing committee to limit the number of tickets to 450,000.

For the French Tennis Federation, expanding the facilities is now an urgent matter. Most major tennis tournaments aren’t facing such a problem. The US Open's premises, for instance, are twice the size of the French Open's, with capacity to welcome 700,000 ticket holders.

Size is a major issue, but for many, building a more modern central tennis court is another key element. Interrupted matches and long delays are the organizer’s biggest fear. This leads to a flood of problems: reimbursing tickets and issues with insurance and broadcasting.

Tennis courts with mobile roofs could be a solution, but many tennis players from the older guard have mixed feelings about this, fearing that this might have an impact on the soul of the tournament.

Despite the reservations, the project is under way. Building a new central court with a mobile roof had already been part of the Paris candidacy program for the 2012 Olympic Games. Now the French Tennis Federation could be calling for bids from architects in the coming months. The construction could begin in 2010 with the court operational in 2012.