Despite the 13-time champion’s intention to play in the day session, Rafael Nadal’s French Open quarter-final versus long-time rival Novak Djokovic will be held on Tuesday night at Roland Garros.
Officials revealed on Monday that the pair’s 59th career encounter would take place in the late match under the lights of Court Philippe Chatrier, with Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev’s quarter-final scheduled for the afternoon.
“I don’t like to play on clay at night,” Nadal remarked last week, “because the humidity is greater, the ball is slower, and there may be weighty circumstances, particularly when it’s chilly.”
“I believe that makes a significant difference in how tennis is played on clay at night and during the day.”
Djokovic has previously said that he preferred to play Nadal as late as feasible.
“All I’ll say is Rafa, and I’d make different demands,” remarked the reigning champion and world number one.
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If Alcaraz had been forced to play beyond 9 p.m. for the third time, he stated it would have been “unfair.” So far, Nadal and Djokovic have each played one match after dark.
Zverev also dismissed nighttime circumstances.
“When it’s 30 degrees during the day, I don’t mind the nighttime workouts,” the 25-year-old added.
“It’s challenging when it’s 14 degrees during the day, and then it’s 8, 9, something like that at night.”
With host broadcaster Prime Video owning the rights to the tournament’s ten-night sessions, organizers faced a scheduling problem.
Officials claimed they had struck an arrangement for the encounter, the 10th between Djokovic and Nadal at Roland Garros, to be broadcast free of charge.
“The quarter-final match between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, set for Tuesday, May 31 at 8:45 p.m., will be available in France as unrestricted content on Prime Video mobile and online applications,” according to a statement.
However, France’s public service broadcaster, which broadcasts the event on terrestrial networks, has reacted angrily.
“France Televisions regrets this choice, which denies French fans one of the tournament’s most attractive commercials,” they stated.
