Coco Gauff calls out French Open for ‘unfair’ treatment of players as Novak Djokovic’s 3R encounter becomes the latest-ever finish of the tournament history at 3 am

Gauff said how playing such matches messes with a player's schedule.

Coco Gauff calls out French Open for ‘unfair’ treatment of players as Novak Djokovic’s 3R encounter becomes the latest-ever finish of the tournament history at 3 am

Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff (Images via Imago)

Coco Gauff said she is lucky not to play a match till the early hours of the morning and expressed her concerns when Novak Djokovic and Lorenzo Musetti played a five-setter till 3 a.m. local time inside the Philippe-Chatrier. Due to rain delays, the Djokovic versus Musetti match, which was scheduled to start around 8 p.m., was pushed to 10:30 p.m.

This happened because Grigor Dimitrov‘s third-round clash with Zizou Bergs, which started on Friday, was rescheduled for an outside court the next day but incessant rain made them play in the evening in Philippe-Chatrier which is one of the two Roland Garros courts with a roof.

YouTube video

Gauff, after an easy 6-1, 6-2 win over Elisabetta Cocciaretto said how playing such matches messes with a player’s schedule. She called these late-night finishes unhealthy. 

FS Video
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. 
Coco Gauff said at the press conference 

Gauff has now advanced to the quarterfinals where she will face Ons Jabeur on June 4. Djokovic, on the other hand, beat Musetti 7-5, 6-7(6-8), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0. In the Dimitrov-Bergs match, the former emerged victorious with a 6-3, 7-6(7-4), 4-6, 6-4 scoreline. 

Coco Gauff thinks the entire scheduling thing is complicated 

It’s not the first time Roland Garros or a Grand Slam event has come under fire due to its scheduling. Coco Gauff thinks that though it puts pressure on the players, the scheduling of matches itself is complicated because no one knows how long a match will last. 

Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff (Image via Imago)

Gauff pointed out that if, due to delays, a match is moved to a different court, then it will be unfair to the fans who paid for the tickets. At the same time, the 20-year-old American wants the organizers to plan a schedule that benefits the players first. 

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.
Coco Gauff said at the press conference 

Meanwhile, Gauff, who reached the quarterfinals, secured all her wins in the previous rounds in straight sets. She has a head-to-head record of 4-2 against her quarterfinal opponent, Ons Jabeur. 

In case you missed!