Carlos Alcaraz believes the French Open schedule would be unfair if his quarterfinal is held at night while Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic push for a daytime slot for their blockbuster clash.
Alcaraz has played two night sessions at this year’s Roland Garros and could face a third when he tackles Alexander Zverev for a place in the semi-finals.
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“Honestly, it wouldn’t seem fair to me. I’ve already played twice in the evening,” Alcaraz said on beating Karen Khachanov in Round of 16 on Sunday.
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“I’m not saying that it bothers me to play in the evening, but obviously I have less recovery time, if I finish very late all the time,” the 19-year-old added.
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“When we finish at midnight, with all that comes with it — dinner, physio, trying to come down in terms of adrenaline — it’s harder to recover.
“If I play a third time in the evening, honestly it seems unfair to me.”
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French Open night sessions made a debut in 2021 and ten night sessions have been scheduled for this year.
Nadal, whose lone night match was on Wednesday when he easily defeated France’s Corentin Moutet, and Djokovic have played the night session once each.
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“I don’t like night sessions on clay,” said the 13-time champion.
“I don’t like to play on clay during the night, because the humidity is higher, the ball is slower, and there can be very heavy conditions especially when it’s cold.”
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After breezing past Diego Schwartzman in straights sets on Sunday, the World No 1 also said that he would prefer a day match.
“Today I’d rather play day than playing 9:00 p.m. Conditions are different today. It’s colder, slower,” said the defending champion.
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The evening temperatures have been cool in Paris for the tournament.
On Sunday, it was a chilly 10 degrees Celsius. Tuesday daytime temperatures are expected to be around 22 degrees Celsius.
