Tournament director Lopez reacts to Zverev's schedule criticism
Feliciano Lopez , Tournament Director of the Madrid Masters, said that after criticism from Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic , "it's difficult to please everyone".
by Dennis Heineman
last edit: May 14, 2022, 06:48 pm
Alexander Zverev finished his quarter-final game in Madrid around 1:00 a.m. and started his semi-final game on Saturday at 11:00 p.m. Lopez said: "In the end it's very difficult to please everyone, we've known for a long time that it can be late. That there are players who have a small disadvantage compared to the first place on the day of the semifinals. But there are commitments with international TV channels that affect the schedule, for example the men's final is scheduled after the news on Spanish TV."
After the clear defeat in the final against Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev said: “Two days ago I went to bed at 4:30 a.m., yesterday I went to bed at 5:20 a.m.. If a normal person goes to bed once at four and once at five, they will have a hard time being active.”
Djokovic: "Organizers should talk to players"
Novak Djokovic was also confronted with this topic. He agreed with Zverev, saying that ending games that late is unacceptable. "I understand that they want to sell more tickets through Night Sessions, but that can cause problems. The organizers should speak with the players before making such decisions. When I was President of the Players' Council a few years ago, I tried to solve this problem. But still nothing has changed.”