The two ATP & WTA 1000 clay-court events didn't go really well as the 2023 Italian Open also enjoyed its share of bad decisions.
Some sense of dissatisfaction from fans started already in Madrid. The event in the Spanish capital was drowning in controversies, from the birthday cake, all the way to not allowing doubles finalists to speak during the trophy ceremony.
But players soon forgot that and moved to Rome with smiles on their faces and hope for a new start. The media day was full of laughs and remembering of what happened in Madrid, but soon, the problems started also in Rome.
It all started when Stan Wawrinka called out the organizers for the 'worst transportation service' and soon enough, the event faced a real problem as the weather forecast looked really bad and the tournament appeared to be in jeopardy.
And that's where all the other problems started, all of them being related to the tournament scheduling. First, Alexander Zverev had to illogically play two matches on the same day even though it could have been prevented by an earlier start the day prior.
Then, some semifinalists had two free days between their quarterfinal and semifinal matches, something really rarely seen on tennis tours. And after giving so much free time to players that could have been used in a better way to create a good schedule, the final day came.
On Saturday, men still played their semifinal matches, while women competed already in the singles and doubles finals. And coincidentally, it was a day full of rain as the men's semifinal match was stopped a few times before it eventually concluded.
Therefore, the women's singles final started quite late and it even ended earlier than expected due to a retirement. Moreover, the ticket prices were higher than fans expected and they made sure to be heard during the trophy ceremony, booing the organizers every time they attempted to say something.
0 Comments