The historic French Open tennis tournament has announced it will be postponed for four months due to the Covid-19 pandemic that has struck the world, becoming the latest sporting event to be affected by the worldwide outbreak.

One of four major tennis events of the year, the Roland Garros-staged Grand Slam was initially scheduled to be played in Paris from May 24 to June 7.

"In order to ensure the health and safety of everyone involved in the preparation of the tournament, the FFT made the decision to organise the 2020 edition of Roland Garros from 20th September to 4th October 2020," the French Tennis Federation said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The current confinement measures have made it impossible for us to continue with our preparations and, as a result, we are unable to hold the tournament on the dates originally planned," it added.

The FFT said ticket-holders for the French Open could either be reimbursed or change their tickets for the new dates.

The ATP has also suspended its professional men's tennis tour while the Women's Tennis Association has also done the same until May 2.