The Roland Garros 2022 draw allowed fans to witness a new act in the sporting rivalry between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. It was after 4:12 a.m. that the Mallorcan beat the defending champion, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (4), to further close the gap between the two in terms of direct clashes (30-29 in favor of the Serb in 59 games played).
Nada was also able to further improve his record at Roland Garros against the world No. 1 (8-2). Despite the spectacle offered by the two tennis legends, where competition and tension were indeed present, there were many fiery controversies following the organizers’ choice to schedule this big match in the evening session, a match which started 9:05 p.m. and which ended after one o’clock in the morning.
Among the most critical of the organizers’ decision was Paolo Bertolucci, who expressed his disapproval through an accusatory tweet.
The venomous tweet of Paolo Bertolucci
The former Italian tennis player and Sky commentator has blasted the organizers of Roland Garros for the playing times they have chosen.
“So, calmly, we will talk about the shameful moments that tennis players suffer. Only the incompetent can place a match of this level at 8:45 p.m.”, Bertolucci launched on his Twitter account.
Bertolucci echoed the complaints of many tennis players who had difficulty playing during the last week in the evening session due to the playing conditions, but also the hours of play during the night.
Nadal and Zverev themselves had complained about the organizers’ choice, and the Mallorcan player’s coach, Carlos Moya, had further expressed Nadal’s displeasure.
