"I really don't know why they put five matches on the Chatrier today. That was a risk"
Wednesday 7 October 2020 16:29, UK
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.
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.
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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