Carlos Alcaraz denied main stage at French Open as world No. 166 given preference | Tennis | Sport
Carlos Alcaraz will not begin his French Open title defence on Court Philippe-Chatrier. The world No. 2 and reigning champion has been snubbed from the main stadium court at Roland Garros and will instead appear on the second court, Suzanne Lenglen, on Monday afternoon.
Ahead of the tournament, the Spaniard shared his preference for daytime matches. But world No. 166 Richard Gasquet has been given the day session slot on Chatrier on Monday ahead of his retirement. A former top-10 player, the Frenchman will end his career at the tournament this week.
Gasquet’s opening round is one of two men’s matches scheduled on the centre court on Monday, and the only one in the day. The former world No. 7 received a wildcard into his home Grand Slam tournament and faces fellow Frenchman Terence Atmane.
If he loses, Gasquet will immediately enter retirement. Tournament organisers have already made plans for a tribute ceremony, so it’s no surprise the fan favourite has been given top billing on Chatrier, but it comes at the expense of Alcaraz.
The Spaniard will instead play the second match after 11am local time on Suzanne Lenglen, the second-biggest showcourt on the grounds. Alcaraz was initially set to face Kei Nishikori but the Japanese star pulled out and was replaced by qualifier Giulio Zeppieri.
Alcaraz could have played the sole night session match on Chatrier, which starts at 8.15pm local time, but he recently revealed that he planned to ask for a daytime slot. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner headlines the evening schedule instead.
“I could say my preference if I want to play at day or night. Honestly, I prefer to play at day because I don’t really like the cold, honestly,” he smiled.
“And obviously when you finish the match much earlier, [you] have a lot of things to do after the match, which is great, you know.
“During the night sessions when you finish, everything is super late, treatment, having dinner, and then probably you go to bed 2, 3am, which is super late.”
However, Alcaraz said he would still be happy to play at night when needed, though he still hasn’t been afforded the luxury of Court Philippe-Chatrier’s evening slot on day two of the tournament.
He added: “I don’t know how strong, it is my preference. I just give them my feedback what I like to play, and obviously they decide.
“There are a lot of players who give the tournament the preference, and they have to have a balance to the players. I know that I will play at night some matches, and I have to be ready for that, but I think everyone wants to play at day.”
While Gasquet has been given a spot on the main court for his retirement, another French star has also been relegated to Court Suzanne Lenglen. Ahead of the tournament, former world No. 4 Caroline Garcia announced she would soon be retiring and this would be her last Roland Garros.
But the French star will not appear on centre court. Instead, four-time champion Iga Swiatek will take on Rebecca Sramkova before a blockbuster showdown between Naomi Osaka and Paula Badosa.
