Rafael Nadal questions French Open scheduling after late match

"I really don't know why they put five matches on the Chatrier today. That was a risk"

Image: Rafael Nadal finished his quarter-final at 1:26am local time in Paris

Rafael Nadal has questioned French Open organisers' decision to schedule no fewer than five matches on Court Philippe Chatrier over the day.

Nadal finished his quarter-final match against 19-year-old Jannik Sinner of Italy at 1.26am local time in cold, windy conditions - initially pencilled in to start at 6.20pm - but play eventually started at 10.36pm local time on Tuesday.

A rescheduled women's fourth-round match was played before a quarter-final between Nadia Pogoroska and Elina Svitolina, then a men's quarter-final between Diego Schwartzman and Dominic Thiem that lasted five hours and eight minutes, before another last-eight encounter between Iga Swiatek and Martina Trevisan.

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The 12-time Roland Garros champion was scheduled last on the main court and when he started his match the temperature was 13C with a cold wind sweeping the clay off the court after the roof was left open.

"The weather... it's too cold to play tennis. I know football players do it all the time but they're always moving while us tennis players, we stop, we come back, there's the changeover," Nadal told a news conference after his 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 6-1 win.

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Nadal added: "I really don't know why they put five matches on the Chatrier today. That was a risk.

"I saw immediately yesterday when they sent me the schedule because there is a chance there is a couple of long matches. That's what happened. Little bit unlucky, of course."

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