'We deserve to be here' - Ons Jabeur complains about French Open match scheduling

Ons Jabeur was eliminated in the quarter-finals at the 2024 French Open by Coco Gauff.

Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur has claimed that schedule for Grand Slams should be done better and playing past midnight harms the players as well as the ball kids connected to the match.

Ons Jabeur faced American tennis player Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals of the French Open 2024. Jabeur won the first set against Coco Gauff; however, she eventually lost the match 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. Gauff will be facing two-time French Open defending champion Iga Swiatek in the semis.

Meanwhile, after the match, Ons Jabeur stated that the timings of the matches at grand slams could be improved. She revealed that playing a quarter-final at 11 AM is not a suitable time. On the other side, playing past midnight is also not an ideal choice. She advised that matches should be scheduled in the afternoon, which would be a better option.

She said, “I don’t expect any women to play in the evening, but frankly, playing a quarter-final at 11 am is really such a chore. We deserve to be here. Playing in the afternoon is better. There are going to be more people watching us and the stadiums are crowded.”

She further added that the scheduling has also played a role in worsening Novak Djokovic’s knee injury, which has ruled him out of the tournament. Ons Jabeur noted, “We saw Novak suffering with his knee all because he couldn’t recover well… the ball kids are young and on the courts really late.. it’s not healthy.”

She said at the press conference, “I saw what you said with Djokovic, the “minister of happiness” and “minister of late-ending matches.” I don’t think that’s going to be the case for women this year. 10 night sessions, none for women… could you share your feelings now on that?”

Recently, Coco Gauff also complained about the timings of matches at the 2024 French Open. As per the schedule, only men’s singles matches have taken place in the night slots.

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