"I think putting out a schedule where the fifth seed is playing on Court 5, fifth match on after 11 pm - I think that's unacceptable"
Thursday 31 August 2017 19:30, UK
Caroline Wozniacki has described the scheduling at the US Open as "unacceptable" and "questionable" after crashing out in round two.
The fifth seed had to play her Wednesday match on one of the outside courts while Russia's Maria Sharapova has twice played on the showpiece Arthur Ashe Stadium in her first Grand Slam since serving a doping ban.
Wozniacki, the 2009 and 2014 runner-up in New York, exited this year's tournament when Ekaterina Makarova defeated her 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-1.
But Sharapova, the US Open champion in 2006, had earlier seen off Hungary's Timea Babos on the 24,000-capacity Arthur Ashe, two days after she had knocked out world No 2 Simona Halep on the same court.
Someone who comes back from a drugs sentence - performance enhancing drugs - and all of a sudden gets to play every single match on centre court, I think that's a questionable thing to do
Following her defeat, Wozniacki said: "I think putting out a schedule where the fifth seed is playing on Court 5, fifth match on after 11 pm - I think that's unacceptable.
"When you look on centre court, I understand completely the business side of things, but someone who comes back from a drugs sentence - performance enhancing drugs - and all of a sudden gets to play every single match on centre court, I think that's a questionable thing to do.
"I think it doesn't set a good example and I think someone who has fought their way back from injury and is five in the world deserves to play on a bigger court than Court 5.
"Finally they moved us to Court 17, which is a really nice court actually and we had a great atmosphere out there, but I think they should probably look into what they need to do in the future."
Sharapova served a 15-month suspension for failing a drugs test at the 2016 Australian Open and only returned to the tour in April.
She was refused a wildcard to play at the French Open because of her suspension before injury ruled her out of Wimbledon.
The US Open, however, awarded a wildcard into the tournament, the season's final Grand Slam.
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