More top players come out in support of Rafael Nadal after his vocal stance against organisers.
Rafael Nadal was right to blast French Open scheduling as a “joke”, said former women’s champion Ana Ivanovic.
Nadal, the seven-time champion, was furious that his second round match was cancelled on Thursday’s rain-hit programme, forcing him to play on Friday and face a last-32 tie on Saturday.
The Spaniard, slated to play in the third-up match on Court Suzanne Lenglen on Thursday, believes that men should get priority in the schedule when rain is predicted.
“When he has to play day after day, I think he’s right. They should play early,” said Serb star Ivanovic, the 2008 champion.
“I think it’s fair that they play first because they can get more time to recover.”
Nadal faces Italy’s Fabio Fognini later Saturday for a place in the fourth round.
Fognini completed his second round tie on Thursday after playing second match on Court Three following a women’s singles.
“Today I was playing three hours while my opponent was in the locker room watching TV,” said Nadal after needing four sets to beat Slovakia’s Martin Klizan on Friday.
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