French Open 2022: 59th Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal matchup plagued by start time

Unlike the bottom half of the French Open draw, the top half has gone according to most predictions. It has gone according to the higher seed progressing. And much to the elation of the tournament organisers and sponsors, a matchup between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal is on the cards. Only it comes too soon for everyone’s liking. The 59th meeting between two of the ‘Big 3’, a re-match of their 2020 French Open final and last year’s semi-final, is a quarter-final this time. Yes, a match involving World No 1 Djokovic and World No 5 Nadal, a 13-time French Open champion, comes at a stage when eight men remain in the draw. The topsy nature of the draw becomes even more clearer by the fact that with Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev exiting in the fourth round, the highest seed from the bottom half is seventh seed Andrey Rublev. So any ‘protection’ that should have been afforded to Djokovic is clearly not there. Last year’s finalist Tsitsipas, the fourth seed, had a more favourable draw than Djokovic who had Diego Schwartzman in the previous round and Nadal now. None of Tsitsipas’ four opponents, including Holger Rune who beat him, were seeded. To add to the absurdity of it all, the timing of the contest doesn’t favour the 13-time winner at Roland Garros. Nadal didn’t shy away from admitting that he’s not in favour of the evening session at Roland Garros. “I don’t like night sessions on clay. I am very clear with that,” Nadal said after his third round win . “I don’t like to play on clay during the night because humidity is higher, the ball is slower and there can be very heavy conditions especially when it’s cold. I think that makes a big difference between the way tennis is played on clay during the night and during the day,” he added. The tough decision possibly came in part by as a business move and also to not seem biased. The day session is broadcast locally on France TV and the evening session, which starts at 9 PM CET, on Amazon Prime. The evening session was introduced last year on the refurbished Court Philippe Chatrier which boasts lights and a retractable roof. Carlos Alcaraz, who features in the other quarter-final in this half, has played two night matches and feels it is unfair if both Djokovic, Nadal also aren’t in the same boat ahead of their potential semi-final. Rafael Nadal’s coach Carlos Moya has slammed the scheduling saying the organisers should have been more respectful of the 13-time champion. “I wouldn’t say disrespect, but here at Roland-Garros, Rafa has credit," Moya told French outlet RMC Sport. “He has won the tournament 13 times, and if he has a request, you should listen to him. He is part of the history of Roland Garros. “We know that nobody is bigger than [the tournament], nobody is bigger than the grand slam, but in the end, it is a question of business and we understand that.” Evening vs Day - how it makes a difference Nadal, who likes to hit the ball with plenty of spin, will be unable to get as much purchase during the evening session. Contrary to the ball kicking up and going high during the day matches, the evening contests would likely keep the ball low which plays into Djokovic’s hands. It is reminiscent of the 2020 French Open, played in September-October due to COVID-19, which also had equally challenging conditions. The cold makes the red clay moist, the ball picks up plenty of the surface, gets heavier and the ability to generate spin is affected severely. “The conditions are much livelier during the day, the ball bounces higher and Rafa’s game is more dangerous. Two years ago they played under the roof, it was cold and at night. It was a close atmosphere and he played an amazing game,” Moya told ATP. “The preference was to play in the day, but it doesn’t matter; it’ll be at night and we’ll try and win.” Form guide Djokovic entered French Open on the back of a title in Rome. Nadal, however, came in with injury concerns (foot) from the same event. At Roland Garros, Djokovic has had straightforward wins. All of his wins have come in straight sets. Nadal, on the other hand, won his first three rounds in straight sets before being taken to five sets in an over four-hour duel with Felix Auger-Aliassime. Taking Nadal’s injury into consideration, the longer the match goes, the more it goes into Djokovic’s favour. But then again, as Nadal likes to remind us, he has played a large portion of his career in pain and hasn’t hinted at any niggle thus far in Paris. Stats that matter It is match of firsts in a way. This is the first time a men’s match features two players with at least 20 Grand Slam titles; two players with at least 1000 match wins and two players with at least 300 Grand Slam match wins. It is the 59th meeting between Djokovic and Nadal, most tour level meetings between two men in the Open Era. Djokovic leads their rivalry 30-28 but Nadal is 19-8 on clay, 10-7 at Grand Slams, 7-2 at Roland Garros. Last meeting: Their last meeting also happened to be at the French Open. Last year, Djokovic won 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-2 in the semi-finals. Djokovic has won two of their last three meetings on the Parisian clay Djokovic vs Nadal too soon: This is their earliest Grand Slam meeting since 2015 Roland Garros quarter-final which Djokovic won in straight sets Read all the  Latest News ****,  Trending News ****,  Cricket News ****,  Bollywood News ****,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook****,  Twitter and  Instagram****.