French Open players often make schedule requests. No one wanted to miss the Champions League final
Associated Press
PARIS (AP) — The French Open isn't the only sports event in Europe drawing attention from tennis players: The Champions League final will decide the continent's best soccer club, and one of the two teams involved Saturday night is Paris Saint-Germain, whose stadium is a couple of blocks from Roland-Garros.
Count Novak Djokovic among those rooting for PSG against Italy's Inter Milan, and he hoped to be able to tune in on TV to watch the big clash that'll be held in Munich, Germany. So Djokovic made that preference known to the people in charge of arranging the program at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament he's won three times — a common practice, especially among the sport's elite.
They often ask to be scheduled at a certain time. Or to avoid a certain time.
'I will definitely watch it if I'm not playing (in the) night session. Yeah, that will be nice,' Djokovic said with a big smile. 'FYI, Roland-Garros schedule.'
Hint, hint. Except his plea went unheeded: When Saturday's order of play was released Friday, 24-time major champion Djokovic's third-round match against Filip Misolic was the one picked for under the lights at Court Philippe-Chatrier due to begin at 8:15 p.m. local time, 45 minutes before Inter Milan vs. PSG starts.
Others who begged off from competing at that hour got their wish. Although one, Arthur Fils, the 14th-seeded Frenchman who grew up near Paris and is a big PSG fan, wound up pulling out of the tournament because of a back injury after being placed in an afternoon match against No. 17 Andrey Rublev.
'We have many requests from players' every day, tournament director Amélie Mauresmo said. 'There's no fixed rule. We try to accommodate everyone as much as possible. That includes requests from players, broadcasters and spectators. ... It's a real puzzle, I won't lie.'
Coco Gauff said she doesn't often ask for a certain time slot, but when she does, it's usually related to competing in singles and doubles on the same day (the American won the French Open doubles title last year but isn't playing doubles this time).
The 2023 U.S. Open champion, who is currently No. 2 in singles, has noticed that events tend to listen more to elite players than others.
'If you're ranked a little bit higher, they'll hear more of your input, for sure,' Gauff said. 'To be honest, I think it's rightfully deserved. I feel like if you do well on tour, win so many tournaments, you should have a little bit more priority when it comes to that.'
Except even the very best of the best don't always have success with these sorts of things.
Madison Keys, who was the U.S. Open runner-up in 2017 and won the Australian Open in January, knows what it's like to be ignored.
'Sometimes the request goes (in), they write it down, and they say, 'OK,'' but then don't do anything about it, Keys said.
'I really think that it's just kind of up to what the tournament wants, what TV wants, things like that,' she added. 'Sometimes you kind of get what you ask for. And other times, you get the complete opposite.'
Just ask Djokovic.
'Whatever they schedule me, I have to accept,' he said earlier this season. 'I think I earned my right to ... (communicate) with the tournament management, where I can express what I would like, depending on a given day, depending on the opponent.'
___
Associated Press writer Tom Nouvian contributed to this report.
___
Howard Fendrich has been the AP's tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich. More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
10 minutes ago
- New York Times
Tantalising Świątek-Sabalenka final in the offing?
Follow live coverage of the fourth round at Roland Garros, after Frances Tiafoe joins Tommy Paul in the last eight Getty Images The fourth round of the 2025 French Open is in full swing with two American stars into the quarterfinals at Roland Garros in Paris. Carlos Alcaraz (2) beat Ben Shelton in four sets, but Frances Tiafoe (15) has joined fellow American Tommy Paul (12) in the quarters. Lorenzo Musetti (8) and Holger Rune (10) are on Philippe-Chatrier for the night session, and it's Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs. Zheng Qinwen (8) and Iga Świątek (5) vs. Elina Svitolina (13) in the women's singles last eight after their wins today. Watch: TNT, truTV, Tennis Channel, Max (U.S.); TNT (UK) TNT, truTV, Tennis Channel, Max (U.S.); TNT (UK) Join the discussion at: live@ GO FURTHER Tennis on clay courts: The unpredictable dance of sun, rain, wind and brick dust at Roland Garros Connections: Sports Edition Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Getty Images I know we've been burned with this kind of countdown already for a potential Świątek match this tournament, but... we're now just a couple of matches away from an Iga-Sabalenka semifinal. The world No. 1 Sabalenka has just beaten Amanda Anisimova 7-5, 6-3 and is into the quarters to face Zheng Qinwen. Swiatek, meanwhile, will face Elina Svitolina in the last eight. Win that, and if Sabalenka can do likewise against Zheng then a semifinal between the dominant WTA players of the last few years awaits. Remarkably, it would be only their second ever meeting at a major and first anywhere since a semifinal in Cincinnati last August. The third round concludes with four matches on Monday. Top seeds Mate Pavic/Marcelo Arévalo face Édouard Roger-Vasselin/Hugo Nys, with Andrea Vavassori/Simone Bolelli (4) up against John Peers/Matthew Ebden (15). Then, two all-British pairs are in action: Neal Skupski/Joe Salisbury (8) vs. Nuno Borges/Arthur Rinderknech, plus Julian Cash/Lloyd Glasspool clashing with Luke Johnson/Sander Arends. Getty Images FINAL: Sabalenka 7-5, 6-3 Anisimova That's it! Amanda Anisimova, the American and 16th seed, held off the top seed for a little while in a marathon eighth game of the set, saving six match points. But Sabalenka held her serve in the next game to take the match in straight sets. Getty Images Shelton 6-7(8), *0-1 Alcaraz Alcaraz doesn't get his first serve in play, costing him again. Ben Shelton's sixth break point of this game alone. But he retreats deep behind the baseline, a little passive and conservative perhaps. Deuce again. Then Alcaraz comes into the net and whips it away for advantage, and takes it. Bitter taste for Shelton. Getty Images Shelton 6-7(8), *0-0 Alcaraz At 30-all, Alcaraz looks to have stretched and put the ball back onto Shelton's side of the court with a phenomenal shot. Did he let go of the racket before hitting it? Alcaraz, incredibly sportingly, gives the point to Shelton to prevent an awkward decision for the umpire. And it's not any point, it's break point! 30-40... but he rescues it to deuce with a big serve. Another advantage Shelton, another saved with a big serve Shelton can't return effectively. A third break point, and Shelton goes long! Deuce again, fourth advantage to Shelton. It will feel like such a momentum-killer if he can't secure the break here. Oh dear, a tired aerial flicked recovery shot from Shelton just dies and plops into the net. Fifth advantage, and Alcaraz flies into a high volley at the net, puts it away a little recklessly and it just smudges the line. Deuce and we're nearly up to 10 minutes in the first game of this second set. Gorgeous drop shot from Alcaraz again, his first game point and now Shelton saves it with a couple of world-class strokes! Getty Images That may have been Ben Shelton's best chance at the match. Three set points. He might go to sleep thinking about not hitting a first serve out wide at 6-5 to open up the court. He has his reasons surely, but to play for 70 minutes and be a point away three times and have nothing to show for it — that's a big hole to climb out of mentally. Getty Images Sabalenka 7-5, 5-2* Anisimova Break point and match point for top seed Aryna Sabalenka against American Amanda Anisimova (16) on Suzanne-Lenglen. Anisimova saves it, deuce, before Sabalenka goes long, advantage Anisimova... Getty Images Shelton 6-7(8) 0-0 Alcaraz Oh, that's brilliant, a fearsome forehand into the corner that saw Shelton's scooped recovery into the net. Alcaraz pumps his fist and shouts with elation. Getty Images Shelton 6-6 (8-9*) Alcaraz Shelton hits the line and it's 7-6 for a third set point. Alcaraz chunters unhappily to his box. Both players grunting with exertion now, loudly and a little performatively. Alcaraz comes to the net and it's an awkward low return from Shelton but his soft hands see him drop-volley it gently the other side of the net. Now Alcaraz takes set point at 8-7 and he roars approvingly. But Shelton with two smash volleys at the net, the first of which is brilliantly returned by Alcaraz, not many players in world tennis who could do that, the second put away. Strange mistake from Shelton, 9-8 Alcaraz and a second set point, this time on his serve... Shelton 6-6 (6-6*) Alcaraz Ace from Alcaraz to start and from a perilous position at 4-1 down, the Spaniard is now within a point. Eesh, bizarre miscue as the ball hits the edge of his racket and balloons high into the Parisian sky. 5-3 Shelton. What a point that is! Point of the match, definitely. Maybe even point of the tournament so far. Alcaraz retrieves the serve, Shelton puts him in the corner, Alcaraz retrieves the drop shot brilliantly and goes down the line, Shelton somehow gets there and flips it back to him behind the back but Alcaraz's volley at the net lands on the line as Shelton falls on his back to watch it just about kiss the line. Shelton smiles wryly, Alcaraz gives his opponent a tiny nod. 5-4, then two set points to Shelton at 6-4. Alcaraz saves one for 6-5... Body serve is out, second serve is well returned, and Shelton nets! 6-6! Getty Images Shelton 6-6 (*4-2) Alcaraz Mini-break to Shelton at 2-0 up, before Alcaraz volleys it away powerfully. A couple of overhand smashes take Shelton to 3-1 and he scrunches up his face, nodding to his box. USWNT soccer star Trinity Rodman, his girlfriend, is watching on approvingly. Alcaraz errs and it's 4-1, eliciting a roar from Ben Shelton. Serve over to Carlos Alcaraz, and he wins a crucial point to make 4-2 at the changeover. Shelton 6-6 (0-0*) Alcaraz Yep, Carlos Alcaraz with a blinder of a game and we are 6-6 in the first set, into a tiebreak. Let's go. A reminder: you can contact us with any comments, thoughts, or questions at: live@ and we'll do our best to answer you. Get in touch! Top-tier tennis in the City of Light. Getty Images It was nice to see the two players battling it out have a polite, friendly little chat at the net between games earlier in the set. Carlos Alcaraz was saying he heard something and thought Ben Shelton's serve might have clipped the net. Shelton sportingly offered to replay the point, to which Alcaraz smiled and thanked him but said it was fine and he was happy to move on. We like to see it. Getty Images These two are not good friends but they like each other a lot. They played an exhibition at Madison Square Garden together last year. They both like to put on a show, sometimes to their detriment. It's not yet clear Carlos is locked into this match the way he is when he's playing one of his near-equals. He's in a dangerous part of the set, when a lapse has made his job difficult in the past. Getty Images It's currently 5-5 in the first set between Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz. Only one break point so far, to Alcaraz, but it was saved. Careering towards a fascinating tiebreak on the show court. Getty Images A humdinger of a first set on Lenglen between Sabalenka and Anisimova which the world No. 1 edges 7-5. Sabalenka had a set point on her serve at 5-3, but couldn't take it, and was then down two break points at 5-5. At that point, as so often happens with the best players, she locked in: holding serve and then pinching the set in the next game. The weight of shot both players produce is staggering, but the greater variety Sabalenka possesses with her far superior drop shot and net game is just giving her the edge so far. Getty Images There's your top seed. Sabalenka broke Amanda Anisimova of the United States in the final game of their first set to take it 7-5. Into the second we go. Anisimova needs to go the distance to reach the last eight. All four third-round men's doubles matches today have been completed. As aforementioned, Horacio Zeballos/Marcel Granollers (5) steamrollered American Austin Krajicek and Santiago González 6-2, 6-1. While second seeds Henry Patten/Harri Heliövaara beat Rohan Bopanna/Adam Pavlásek 6-2, 7-6(5). Ninth seeds Evan King/Christian Harrison got past Yuki Bhambri/Robert Galloway 6-4, 6-4, while Orlando Luz/Ivan Dodig eliminated John-Patrick Smith/Fernando Romboli thanks to a 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 win.
NBC Sports
14 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
U.S. Open 101: History, qualifications, records, courses and most wins
Look back at the top moments from Round 4 of the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, as Bryson DeChambeau outdueled Rory McIlroy to win his second U.S. Open in five years. Take a look at some answers to frequently asked questions about the United States Open: How old is the U.S. Open? It is 130 years old. The first one was played in 1895. How many times has the U.S. Open been played? This year will mark the 125th U.S. Open. It was not played in 1917 or 1918 because of World War I, nor was it played in 1942-45 because of World War II. Who started the U.S. Open? The United States Golf Association, an organization formed in 1894 by five prominent golf clubs to be the game's national governing body. Is the U.S. Open the oldest national championship in the world? No. The Open, also referred to as The Open Championship, dates back to 1860. Where was the first U.S. Open played? It was played on a nine-hole course at Newport (R.I.) Country Club. Who was the first U.S. Open winner? Horace Rawlins, a 21-year-old Englishman, shot 173 for 36 holes to beat Scotsman Willie Dunn by two strokes. Who is the most recent U.S. Open winner? Bryson DeChambeau. He earned his second U.S. Open title (2020) by getting up and down from a greenside bunker to save par and finish one shot clear of Rory McIlroy at Pinehurst No. 2. Who has won the most U.S. Opens? Four players have won the U.S. Open four times each: Scotsman Willie Anderson and Americans Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus. Hogan also won the 1942 Hale America Open, which some of his supporters claim should be counted as his fifth U.S. Open. The Hale America was a substitute for the U.S. Open, was held in the same time slot and was run like the U.S. Open with local and final qualifying. How many times has a player won consecutive U.S. Opens? Six players have won back-to-back Opens and one has won three in a row. Chronologically, they are Scotsman Willie Anderson (1903-05), and Americans John McDermott (1911-12), Bobby Jones (1929-30), Ralph Guldahl (1937-38), Ben Hogan (1950-51), Curtis Strange (1988-89) and Brooks Koepka (2018-19). Who are the most noteworthy players who have NOT won a U.S. Open? This list would have to start with Sam Snead, whose failure to win a U.S. Open cost him a career Grand Slam. Snead was runner-up in the Open four times – in 1937, 1947, 1949 and 1953. But his most painful loss probably came in 1939, when he came to the final hole needing only a par to win but instead made a triple bogey. As on-course scoreboards did not yet exist, Snead didn't know he needed only a par; a spectator erroneously told him he needed a birdie. Phil Mickelson is also in this category; he has a record six runner-up finishes (1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2013) and a U.S. Open win would also earn him the career Grand Slam. Where is this year's U.S. Open? Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. It will be a record 10th time that the course has played host to the U.S. Open. The most recent occasion was 2016, when Dustin Johnson prevailed. Other past winners include Angel Cabrera (2007), Ernie Els (1994), Larry Nelson (1983), Johnny Miller (1973), Jack Nicklaus (1962), Ben Hogan (1953), Sam Parks, Jr. (1935) and Tommy Armour (1927). Which U.S. Opens have been the most memorable? It's all a matter of opinion, of course. Working backwards in the top 10: 10. 1973: Johnny Miller shoots a record 63 in the final round to win. 9. 1982: Tom Watson chips in from deep rough on the 71st hole to win at Pebble Beach. 8. 2008: Limping on what would turn out to be a broken leg, Tiger Woods edges Rocco Mediate after an 18-hole playoff and one sudden-death hole. 7. 1930: Bobby Jones wins the third leg of a Grand Slam he would soon complete. 6. 2000: Woods destroys the field by a record 15 shots at Pebble Beach. 5. 1950: Less than a year and a half after a near-fatal car accident, Ben Hogan wins at Merion. 4. 1966: Seven shots ahead of playing partner Billy Casper at the final turn, Arnold Palmer is caught and loses in an 18-hole playoff. 3: 1913: Francis Ouimet stuns the golf world. 2. 1962: Rookie Jack Nicklaus takes it to Palmer in front of Arnie's home crowd at Oakmont. 1. 1960: Seven shots back after 54 holes, Palmer drives the green on the first hole, a par 4, shoots 65 and wins his first – and only – U.S. Open. How do you get to play in a U.S. Open? Below are the 2025 exemption categories, per the USGA. Anyone — with a Handicap Index not exceeding 0.4 — however, can earn a spot in the field through 18-hole local and 36-hole final qualifying. Certain players are exempt into the latter stage, with most players having to go through both. There were 110 local and 13 final sites this year. F-1. Winners of the U.S. Open the last 10 years; F-2. From the 2024 U.S. Open, the 10 lowest scorers and anyone tying for 10th place; F-3. Winner of the 2024 U.S. Senior Open; F-4. Winner of the 2024 U.S. Amateur; F-5. Winners of the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur championships, and the 2024 U.S. Amateur runner-up (must be an amateur); F-6. Winners of the Masters Tournament, 2020-2025; F-7. Winners of the PGA Championship, 2021-2025; F-8. Winners of The Open, 2021-2024; F-9. Winners of The Players Championship 2023-2025; F-10. Winner of the 2024 DP World Tour BMW PGA Championship; F-11. Those players who qualified and were eligible for the season-ending 2024 Tour Championship; F-12. Multiple winners of PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation for the FedExCup, from the conclusion of the 2024 U.S. Open (June 13-16) to the initiation of the 2025 U.S. Open; F-13. The Top 5 players in the 2025 FedExCup standings as of May 19, 2025, who are not otherwise exempt; F-14. The points leader from the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour season using combined points earned on the Official Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season Points Standings and points earned in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals; F-15. The top two players from the final 2024 Race to Dubai Rankings, who are not otherwise exempt as of May 19, 2025; F-16. The top player on the 2025 Race to Dubai Rankings as of May 19, 2025, who is not otherwise exempt; F-17. Winner of the 2024 Amateur Championship (must be an amateur); F-18. Winner of the 2024 Mark H. McCormack Medal (Men's World Amateur Golf Ranking) (must be an amateur); F-19. Winner of the 2025 NCAA Division I Men's Individual Golf Championship (must be an amateur); F-20. Winner of the 2025 Latin America Amateur Championship (must be an amateur); F-21. From the current Official World Golf Ranking, the top 60 points leaders and ties as of May 19, 2025; F-22. From the current Official World Golf Ranking, the top 60 points leaders and ties as of June 9, 2025; F.23. Winner of the 2024 Olympic gold medal, contested August 1-4, 2024; F.24. The top player who is not otherwise exempt and in the top 3 of the 2025 LIV Golf Individual Standings as of May 19, 2025; F-25. Special exemptions selected by the USGA. Deadline for submission of request: May 15, 2025. Who is the oldest player to win the U.S. Open? Hale Irwin was 45 years and 15 days old when he won in 1990. Who was the youngest U.S. Open winner? John McDermott was 19 years, 315 days old when he won in 1911. Who was the youngest U.S. Open player? In 2012 a 14-year-old amateur from China, Andy Zhang, qualified. Who had the largest U.S. Open victory margin? Tiger Woods won by 15 strokes in 2000. This is the record for any major. Who holds the 72-hole U.S. Open scoring record? Rory McIlroy shot 268 in 2011. That was 16 under par – also a record – on par-71 Congressional. Brooks Koepka won in 2017 at par-72 Erin Hills with a 16-under total (272). Who holds the 18-hole aggregate U.S. Open scoring record? This was long known as Johnny Miller's record (even though others subsequently tied it). Miller famously closed in 63 to win the 1973 U.S. Open at Oakmont. In 2023, however, Rickie Fowler opened in 62 at LACC to establish a new aggregate record. A few minutes after he did that, Xander Schauffele posted a 62 as well. They now co-own the mark. What does a player get for winning the U.S. Open? Last year's winner collected $4,300,000 (out of $21.5 million, overall purse). The winner is also exempt from qualifying for the other three majors and The Players Championship for the next five years, and exempt from U.S. Open qualifying for the next 10 years. If the winner is a PGA Tour member, he would receive a five-year exemption to all PGA Tour events. What happens if the U.S. Open is tied after 72 holes? There used to be an 18-hole playoff the following day. Now, if two or more players are tied at the end of regulation there is a two-hole aggregate playoff, followed by sudden death.
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
French Open: Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul put 2 US 2 men in quarterfinals for 1st time since 1996
PARIS (AP) — Before Frances Tiafoe played a point at this French Open, he wasn't particularly enthusiastic about its surface — or his chances in the tournament. 'Last tournament on clay, which I get really excited about,' Tiafoe said on the eve of the Grand Slam event at Roland-Garros. 'And then we get on the real stuff, the grass and the summer hard courts — where tennis actually matters.' Advertisement Might have a different point of view now. The 15th-seeded Tiafoe made his way into the quarterfinals at the French Open for the first time with a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over Daniel Altmaier of Germany on Sunday night, joining 12th-seeded Tommy Paul to put a pair of American men in the round of eight. It's the first time the country placed more than one man in the quarterfinals in Paris since 1996, when Jim Courier and Pete Sampras did it together. Zero men from the United States had made it this far in any year since Andre Agassi in 2003. And Tiafoe — who celebrated his win by twice shouting a phrase that can't be quoted fully here but included the words 'let's' and 'go' — has done it without dropping a set. Quite a turnaround for a guy whose big-strike tennis long suffered on the slow red clay. He began his French Open career with a 0-6 record before getting his first win in 2022 and one more last year. Advertisement 'On clay, I get a little more passive than on other surfaces, because the court doesn't help me play as fast as I would like,' said Tiafoe, twice a semifinalist on the hard courts of the U.S. Open, where speedy shots are rewarded and the loud crowds and bright lights tend to bring out his best. 'Patience is a thing I struggle with.' Look at him now, though. And listen to something else he said when he met with reporters a little more than a week ago, with a dash of his usual sense of humor: 'Overall, I'm a big believer it can all change in a week. When I'm backed up against it, it seems like I start to produce my best tennis, because I have to if I want to continue living the life I want to live.' Tiafoe, a 27-year-old from Maryland, added: 'If I'm ready to go, I'm not just going to get to the third round — I can go for a run. I genuinely feel I can beat anybody on any specific day.' Advertisement Next for Tiafoe will be a matchup on Tuesday against No. 8 Lorenzo Musetti of Italy or No. 10 Holger Rune of Denmark. Four American women play in the fourth round Monday: No. 2 Coco Gauff, No. 3 Jessica Pegula, and No. 7 Madison Keys against Hailey Baptiste in an all-U.S. encounter. Paul, a semifinalist at the Australian Open in 2023, was never really troubled Sunday during his 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 win against 25th-seeded Alexei Popyrin of Australia in less than two hours. Paul is a 28-year-old who grew up in North Carolina and now goes up against No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, the defending champion who got past No. 13 Ben Shelton of the U.S. 7-6 (8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. 'Obviously,' Paul said about Alcaraz, 'the guy can play amazing tennis here.' Advertisement ___ Howard Fendrich has been the AP's tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: More AP tennis: Howard Fendrich, The Associated Press
