Novak Djokovic endured a tough night in Paris, having to play tennis well after midnight, finishing at about 3 a.m. local time.
The rain impacted play in the previous days, forcing the organizer to cram many matches on the two courts with the roof, so Djokovic's match against Lorenzo Musetti was pushed back.
One match was actually inserted before the Serbian's match, which pushed it back all the way to 11 p.m. local time, which is when the match started.
Obviously, Djokovic could have escaped that late finish by winning the match in straight sets, but he needed five sets and over four hours to do so, which is what caused the late finish.
Still, he won't be happy about starting too late, but that's just how things unfolded. Coco Gauff, who also competes at the 2024 Roland Garros, was asked about it, and she explained why it's so difficult to finish late.
Djokovic didn't just go to bed immediately. He likely spent a few more hours up for everything that players need to do after they play a tennis match.
"I definitely think finishing at 3 a.m. is -- I feel like a lot of times people think you're done, but really, 3 a.m., then you have press and then you have to shower, eat, and then a lot of times people do treatments, so that's probably not going to bed until 5 at the earliest, maybe 6, and even 7 a.m."
"I definitely think it's not healthy. It may be not fair for those who have to play late because it does ruin your schedule. I've been lucky I haven't been put in a super late finish yet."
The full effects of what happened to Djokovic might only be seen in his next match, if at all. It depends really on how the 24-time major winner tried to mitigate the effects of that, but it certainly left an impact on him.
There is no way such a night doesn't affect a player in any way. Gauff also discussed possible solutions to prevent a similar situation in the future.
"What can be done? I know on the tour side they're thinking about putting matches can't start after a certain time. I don't know if it's going to be a Grand Slam rule, but I know on the WTA Tour."
"I think that's something to look at. Maybe if a match is going long, possibly moving courts. Then I know it's tough because, especially here, it's only one night match, and people obviously paid for those tickets."
"It's a complicated thing, but I definitely think for the health and safety of the players it would be in the sport's best interest I think to try to avoid those matches finishing -- or starting after a certain time. Obviously, you can't control when they finish."
0 Comments