It's no secret that the best tennis players get significantly better perks and preferential treatment when it comes to scheduling.
Privileges such as top-notch practice courts and better match court allocation are things that the cream of the crop in tennis enjoys. When discussion about preferential treatment arises, the argument in favor of such an elite band of players is that they have merited this position based on previous accomplishments.
Frances Tiafoe has shared his thoughts, and while he fully supports the argument, he wants the conditions to be standardized so that there is a level playing field. A case in point is how uncontrollable factors like inclement weather affected lower-ranked players in the first week of Wimbledon.
Tournament organizers will always prioritize scheduling the top-ranked players on the bigger courts, where perks such as a retractable roof exist, and which would enable these players to complete their matches within the pre-determined day's timetable.
As Novak Djokovic put it in one of his interviews during the US Swing, tournaments are more geared towards revenues and profits, and will always look to achieve high viewership numbers by getting the most from ticket sales and sponsors.
"People pay for tickets as they want to watch Novak Djokovic. They want to see Carlos Alcaraz. They want to see Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka. But you're seeing the forecast and it's raining. You have Novak getting ready to play the third round the next day, and there are guys still on their first ones. So they are going to play every day, but Novak is guaranteed to play because he has roofs."
And because tournaments need to accommodate TV broadcast schedules and advertising commitments, top players will often get primetime slots. Due to this trend, we are unlikely to see other lesser-ranked players win the bigger tournaments, according to Tiafoe.
"In my mind, if you have a guy at World No. 15, he's still very good, put him on center. Rather than he's supposed to play (tough schedules), you are just not going to win. I mean, you can, but it's so unlikely. And if you're going to try to win the tournament, the chance is so unlikely."
"But it's like you know, these are the best players in the world, I get it. But, how do you create the same playing field? How is that even possible? I get it, you got the best player in the world on the best court, they make things go."
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