Coco Gauff criticizes Roland Garros for putting players’ health at risk: We are their product

Coco Gauff has expressed concerns about the impact of late-night match finishes on tennis players’ health, suggesting that tournament organizers implement a mandatory cutoff time for when night matches can begin.

On Sunday, Novak Djokovic’s third-round match against Lorenzo Musetti at the French Open concluded at 3:07 a.m. local time, having started at 10:37 p.m. the previous nightThe grueling five-set match lasted four hours and 29 minutes, marking the latest finish in French Open history.

Night matches, which are ticketed separately from daytime play on Court Philippe-Chatrier, typically start at 8:15 p.m. local time. However, rain delays forced organizers to add an extra match to the main court schedule, pushing Djokovic’s match to a much later start.

“Yeah, I definitely think finishing at three a.m. is — I feel like a lot of times people think you’re done, but really, three a.m., then you have media responsibilities and then you have to shower, eat, and then a lot of times people do treatments,” Gauff explained.

“So that’s probably not going to bed until five o’clock at the earliest, maybe six o’clock, and even seven o’clock.

“I’ve been lucky I haven’t been put in a super-late finish yet.”

Late finishes are becoming a regular feature on the calendar
Late-night matches are becoming increasingly common, with similar occurrences at the Australian Open and US Open. Gauff believes there should be a set time in the evening after which no new matches can start.

“What can be done? I know on the tour side they’re thinking about putting matches can’t start after a certain time,” Gauff said.

“I don’t know if it’s going to be a Grand Slam rule, but I know on the WTA Tour, I think that’s something to look at. Maybe if a match is going long, possibly moving courts.

“Then I know it’s tough because, especially here, it’s only one night match, and people obviously paid for those tickets.

“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.”

Gauff critical of how tour views players
Gauff then stressed her displeasure with how the tour views the participating players, suggesting they are mere products to them.

“I think that we’re their product, essentially,” she declared.

“I definitely think, I feel like tournaments are becoming more understanding.

“Some tournaments are more understanding than others. It’s tough, but I think tournaments … should listen to the players more.”