5 days ago
Iga Swiatek has called for nan French Open to make changes to nan layout of their courts aft aggregate players were forced to retreat this week having been injured erstwhile tripping complete obstacles astatine nan backmost of nan Roland Garros courts.
On Friday, nan Turkish subordinate Zeynep Sonmez had been chasing down a lob erstwhile she ran into 1 of nan Lacoste advertizing boards placed astatine nan backmost of nan tribunal and fell to nan floor. After a aesculapian clip out, Sonmez, alongside her partner, Tatjana Maria, was forced to discontinue from her 2nd information doubles lucifer against Dayana Yastremska and Anhelina Kalinina while trailing 2-0.
“I didn’t spot nan incidents, but I heard astir them,” said Swiatek. “Obviously if these things happen, location needs to beryllium a reaction, because location are different ways for america to beryllium visible for sure, you know?
Swiatek continued: “It’s a shame, and it shouldn’t – I dream they’re going to put them successful a different spot aliases conscionable put nan advertizing successful a different measurement there, because it’s not safe for sure.”
Earlier successful nan week, nan Belgian subordinate Alexander Blockx said he was forced to retreat aft injuring himself connected nan rainfall covers astatine nan backmost of a believe court. Blockx revealed this accusation successful a connection connected Instagram earlier hastily editing it: “Unfortunately during today’s believe I heard a threat successful my ankle while I sprained it acknowledgment to nan ‘really necessary’ covers astatine nan backmost of nan tribunal astatine Roland Garros, which is why I had to retreat from tomorrow’s match,” he wrote.
There person been different adjacent misses, including Great Britain’s Katie Boulter, who said nan boards request to beryllium removed aft she besides tripped connected 1 successful her second-round lucifer connected Friday while backpedalling to deed a forehand. “THESE THINGS HAVE TO GO. Got fortunate past nighttime but adjacent clip I mightiness not be…” she wrote connected X.
Sonmez later responded to Boulter’s post, saying: “I guidelines pinch Katie. 5 incidents successful 5 days. I near nan tribunal pinch 2 stitches and a bruised knee. Thankfully, it wasn’t worse. Do we really person to hold until a subordinate is earnestly injured earlier these courtside boards are removed? Player information must travel first.”
This is acold from a caller rumor astatine Roland Garros, which uses these panels towards nan backmost of nan tribunal to advertise their sponsors. In 2017, David Goffin was forced to discontinue from his 3rd information match. No different expansive slam tourney places their rainfall covers down nan baseline and Arthur Ashe Stadium astatine nan US Open is nan only different expansive slam tribunal pinch advertizing hoardings connected nan court, but those boards are pressed straight to nan backmost wall. This is besides a peculiar rumor connected clay courts owed to nan inclination for players to move and take sides from deeper positions connected nan surface.
The French Open is besides nan only large tourney that still uses statement judges, pinch nan tourney placing their boards adjacent to lines group successful nan court. After her consecutive sets triumph complete Viktorija Golubic, Marta Kostyuk said she did not judge that nan tourney would make immoderate changes: “Honestly, I consciousness for illustration location are immoderate rules that nary matter what happens, they conscionable cannot beryllium changed, and nary matter really overmuch you speak astir it aliases really overmuch you conflict complete it, it’s conscionable nan rules. I don’t know.”
On Thursday of past week, nan communicative instantly aft nan tie ceremonial was that Swiatek had been placed successful nan toughest conception of nan women’s singles, projected to look her nemesis, Jelena Ostapenko, and pinch a imaginable semi-final versus Elena Rybakina awaited further successful nan future. Ostapenko and Rybakina, however, mislaid successful information two, while Swiatek continues to build assurance and momentum successful her first awesome tourney alongside her caller coach, Francisco Roig.
A overmuch tougher task awaits Swiatek arsenic she chases her 5th Roland Garros title. She will adjacent look Kostyuk, who is connected a 15-match winning streak and has not mislaid connected clay this twelvemonth aft winning titles successful Rouen and Madrid. “I decidedly person a different emotion going into this match, because I consciousness for illustration past clip that I played her successful Cincinnati, I mislaid this lucifer measurement earlier it moreover started, and I don’t consciousness nan aforesaid this time,” said Kostyuk.
