“You can’t finish your semifinal at 1:00 AM and play the final the next day,” Novak Djokovic supports Alexander Zverev in criticism of poor scheduling
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Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev
World No.1 Novak Djokovic has backed Alexander Zverev‘s statement and has lashed out at the organisers of the Madrid Open. Zverev was very angry and disappointed after the organisers at the Madrid Open organised a very late night semifinals on Saturday and then scheduled the final on Sunday not allowing the German to recuperate for the big clash against Carlos Alcaraz.
Novak Djokovic is currently plying his trade in the Italian Open and after defeating Russia’s Aslan Karatsev 6-3, 6-2 in his opening match spoke in support of the World No.4 in his post match press conference. Zverev instantly criticised the timings of the finals after he went down against the Spanish youngster in the title clash in Madrid. Similarly, Djokovic also reiterated how it was not right and he feels that the organisers should consult the players before organising or scheduling the timings of matches.
“You can’t finish your semifinal match at 1:00 AM and play the final the next day. I understand that they want to sell more tickets by scheduling a late night session on Saturday, but that can cause problems,” Djokovic said criticising the mismanagement from the organizers at the Madrid Open. “The organizers should talk to the players before making these kinds of decisions. When I was the president of the Players’ Council several years ago, I tried to solve this problem. But still, nothing changed,” he added.
Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic are currently featuring in the Italian Open
Alexander Zverev played the semifinal against Stefanos Tsitisipas in the Madrid Open and the match started late at night and ended very late. He then had a session with his physio and also practised his service and went to sleep almost near dawn. Hence when he lost the finals against Carlos Alcaraz with a 6-3, 6-1 scoreline he pointed out the problems.
He had the same routine when he played Felix Auger-Alissiame in the quarterfinals and the next day he faced the Greek. So he has been sleeping in wee hours for back to back two games and then he came up to play the finals on Sunday evening and therefore he burst out in anger with the organisers.
“Two days ago I went to bed at 4:30 am. Yesterday I went to bed at 5:20 am,” Zverev said. “If a normal person goes to bed one night at 4:00 am and the next night at 5:00 am, it will be difficult for them to be active. And for me, playing a final against Alcaraz, the best player in the world today and in a Masters 1000, the next day, is difficult.”
After a great outing in the Madrid Open, Zverev will take the court today against Sebastian Baez in the opening round of the Italian Open as he prepares for the Roland Garros.
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Atrayo Bhattacharya
(193 Articles Published)