It's too cold to play tennis: Rafael Nadal

PARIS: Having finished his quarter-final match at 1:26am local time in cold, windy conditions, Rafael Nadal questioned French Open organisers' decision to schedule no fewer than five matches on the same court over the day.

The 12-time Roland Garros champion was scheduled last on the main court and when he started his match the temperature was 13C with a cold wind sweeping the clay off the court, whose roof was left open throughout.

"The weather... it's too cold to play tennis. I know football players do it all the time but they're always moving while us tennis players, we stop, we come back, there's the changeover," Nadal told a news conference after his 7-6(4), 6-4, 6-1 win against Italian teenager Jannik Sinner.

Nadal started his match at 10:36 pm local time on Tuesday. While such starting times are not unusual at the US and Australian Opens, those tournaments are held during the summer.

This year's French Open, however, was moved from its usual spot in the warmer May-June months because of the COVID-19 crisis. (Agencies)

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