Roland-Garros: night-time matches, such a good idea?

Crime of lese majesty or a sign of fate?

By winning against the young Italian Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals (7-6, 6-4, 6-1), Rafael Nadal has entered a little more into the history of his "favorite tournament".

Started Tuesday at 10:36 p.m. at 12 degrees Celsius, his duel ended at 1:26 a.m. the next morning, becoming the latest match in Roland Garros history.

A first that the master of the house has obviously not tasted (12 titles since 2005).

"The real problem is that it was too cold to play," Nadal told a press conference.

It is dangerous for the body to play in such conditions.

"

“Rafa finished at 1:30 am, we can imagine that he did not fall asleep before 4:30 am, indicates Emmanuel Planque, coach of Fiona Ferro, one of the revelations of the tournament.

We have to prepare the body for these late games and we have to recover well behind.

A

badly negotiated

and it's almost the end of the tournament.

Lucky for him, Rafa has two days to recover.

"

"Honestly, we played bad luck"

The meeting probably never should have ended so late.

But the decision to schedule five matches at the Central during the day (with a women's 8th final delayed the day before in addition to the four quarter-finals planned) and the marathon duel of more than 5 hours between Thiem and Schwartzman will have made this trip possible. at the end of the night.

“I understand his reaction (

) because the conditions were not good, answers Guy Forget, the tournament director.

It's never nice to finish at 1:30 in the morning but he's a professional and he played perfectly.

Honestly, we were unlucky.

There have been five games, we play in the

autumn

the temperatures are low and there is humidity.

The conditions will be better in the spring, for everyone.

"Because as Emmanuel Planque reminds us" we will have to get used to seeing these night matches at Roland Garros ".

He's even got jokes.

There's nothing he can't do 😉 @ RafaelNadal #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/Y9E7OcVS4g

- Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) October 6, 2020

Next spring - if health constraints allow - the French Open will set up night sessions and enter a new era.

Paris will now be able to earn its nickname of the City of Light.

Thanks to the new lighting installed on twelve courts and the new retractable roof inaugurated this year on the Central - used only in the event of rain and while waiting for the cover of the Suzanne-Lenglen court scheduled for 2023 -, the Porte d'Auteuil tournament joins Australian Open and US Open standards.

Two Grand Slam tournaments which have offered “night sessions” to their spectators for years.

In fact, Roland Garros will offer ten days with day and night sessions.

The evening game - there will be only one - will start at 9 p.m.

"In Paris, people go to see football matches or go out at night to the theater or the cinema, that doesn't change anything," Forget continues.

I remain convinced that people want to see games at night.

When I was a player, I liked to play at night, that's what makes the US Open and the Australian Open so charming.

The atmosphere is electric, especially in New York.

During the day, people work and cannot come.

Now they can.

"

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"I am sure that in the spring, the players will love playing Roland at night," said Morgan Bourbon, the former coach of Benoît Paire.

The players like the atmosphere in the evening, the stadiums are full, it is less hot than during the day.

You don't have to judge this particular Roland-Garros, offering

is good for everyone.

"As long as the weather is good ...