Paris (AFP)
"Unjust and inappropriate": the WTA strongly criticized Thursday evening the decision of Roland Garros to schedule the two semi-finals on other courts that Central Friday after the progress of the Paris tournament was turned upside down by the rain Wednesday .
Traditionally played on Thursday afternoon on the court Philippe-Chatrier, the semi-finals of the women's draw have been exceptionally postponed to Friday, day she usually dedicated to the semifinals gentlemen, because of the rain fell continuously Wednesday on Roland- Garros.
On Friday morning, at eleven o'clock, the four players who have reached the final square will enter simultaneously two courts: the Australian Ashleigh Barty (8th) and the young American Amanda Anisimova (51st) on the Suzanne-Lenglen, and the British Johanna Konta ( 26th) and the young Czech Marketa Vondrousova (38th) on the Simonne-Mathieu, nestled in the garden of the greenhouses of Auteuil. A choice guided both by the desire that the players who qualify for the final, scheduled for Saturday, have a rest time equivalent and the weather conditions again announced "difficult" this Friday.
The men's semifinals, with the four best world players, are scheduled one after the other on the Central, from 12:50 pm: first between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, followed by the one between Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem.
A program deplored by the WTA, the organization that governs the professional women's circuit.
"We are extremely disappointed in the programming of the two semi-finals on other courts than the Central, this decision is unfair and inappropriate," denounces the boss of the WTA Steve Simon in a statement.
"The four players who (...) have come so far deserved to play on the biggest court and we think there were other possible solutions, both for the benefit of the spectators and all the players. ", he insists, while acknowledging that" the programming has been jostled by the weather conditions ".
Asked on the subject in a press conference in the day after their respective qualification for the last square, neither Anisimova nor Barty, who will play the first ever Grand Slam semifinal of their career, did not take offense.
"None will be on the Chatrier? I did not know," Anisimova first replied. "It's not really bad, they're all pretty short, whatever court they make me play, I'll be happy, they're all incredible courts," she said.
"Obviously, we would have loved playing on the Chatrier, but personally, I'm excited to be in the semifinals, no matter what court I play, I'll be ready to play," said Barty.
? 2019 AFP