Rafael Nadal has questioned the scheduling of the French Open after finishing his quarter-final match in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The reigning champion saw off Italian rising star Jannik Sinner 7-6(4), 6-4, 6-1 in a match that ended at 1:26am local time. Nadal’s encounter was the last to take place on Court Philippe-Chatrier following two women’s and two men’s matches which also included a five-hour clash between Dominic Thiem and Diego Schwartzman. Unlike previous years the French Open are able to hold late-night matches following approval from the local government and the fact their premier venue now has a roof. The tournament is taking place at a later date than usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although Nadal has branded the scheduling as a ‘risk’ to him. Speaking to reporters after the match he said he was baffled as to why the tournament decided to put five matches on the same court.
“I really don’t know why they put five matches on the Chatrier. That was a risk,” he said. “I saw immediately when they sent me the schedule because there is a chance there of a couple of long matches. That’s what happened.”
“I just tried to be patient, accept everything, and be in a positive shape. That’s what I did.”
The 19-time Grand Slam champion argues the cold conditions at night time poses a health risk. The temperature fell to 12 degrees (53F) during his quarter-final encounter.
“It is a not ideal finish, a match at 1:30 in the morning, but the problem is the weather. It is too cold to play,” he complained. “It is very, very cold to play tennis.’
“I know football players play under these conditions, but it’s a little bit different. They are moving all the time. We stop, we come back, we stop on the changeovers. It is a sport that you are stopped in a lot of moments.”
“I think is a little bit dangerous for the body play with these very heavy conditions.”
Nadal is through to the last four in Roland Garros for a record 13th time in his career. His win-loss record at the tournament now stands at 98-2 with his only two losses being to Robin Solderling in 2009 and Novak Djokovic in 2015.
The king of clay now has a shot of revenge in his next match when he takes on Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman. Who he lost to in the quarter-finals of the Italian Open last month. Schwartzman ousted US Open champion Dominic Thiem in a five-set roller-coaster to achieve his best ever run at a Grand Slam tournament in his career. The Argentine is also set to crack the top 10 next week for the first time in his career at the age of 28.
“I’m going to try to go on court, play my best, try to play my game, play aggressive and try to do something a little bit different than what I did in Rome,” Nadal said about his upcoming clash.
“I hope to be ready to play my best. That’s what I need. That’s what I am looking for.’
“I’m going to give my best until the end. I have two days to practice the things that I need to keep improving, and that’s what I am going to do.”
Nadal is yet to drop a set in this year’s tournament.
