"Someone needs to explain" - Novak Djokovic's French Open 3R being pushed late-night due to scheduling decisions infuriates tennis commentator

In his quest for a fourth French Open title, Novak Djokovic faced off against Lorenzo Musetti in the tournament's third round on Saturday. The match was pushed to late night by the organizers, a decision that didn't sit well with tennis commentator Brett Haber.

On Saturday, in a match lasting four hours and 29 minutes, Djokovic defeated the Italian 7-5, 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0. The match started at 10:40 pm local time and concluded around 3 am on Sunday, making it the latest a Roland Garros match has ever ended.

The recent rainfall in Paris has affected the scheduling of most matches at the French Open, and Djokovic's wasn't an exception. During the match, Brett Haber expressed his displeasure with the scheduling, questioning why Grigor Dimitrov's match was moved to the Philippe-Chatrier arena with Djokovic's match to follow.

Haber raised concerns about the players' fitness for the next round. He suggested that starting crucial matches like Djokovic's and Dimitrov's as late as 8 pm would not be conducive to a reasonable outcome.

“Someone needs to explain why the @grigor_dimitrov match was moved to Chatrier to start at 8pm with the @DjokerNole match to follow? I get wanting to keep next-round opponents on even rest, but you can't start 2 best-of-5's at 8pm and expect a reasonable outcome.” Brett Haber tweeted

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Novak Djokovic on French Open scheduling - “I think some things could have been handled a different way”

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Following his victory over Lorenzo Musetti in the third round of the 2024 French Open, Novak Djokovic was asked by the press about the late-night scheduling of the match, which concluded around 3 am.

The World No. 1 acknowledged that he was expecting the question but chose not to elaborate on his opinion. He admitted that some things could have been handled differently but urged everyone to focus on the positive aspects of the match.

"I knew you guys were going to ask me that. Look, I don’t want to get into it. I have my opinions, but I think there are great things to talk about instead. Both Lorenzo’s and my performances stood out, I don’t want to be talking about scheduling I think some things could have been handled a different way," the World No. 1 said.

The 37-year-old also added humorously that he would have to rest and tap into his youthful energy for a quick recovery.

"But there’s beauty as well, I guess, winning a match at 3:30am… If it’s the last one of the tournament. But it’s not, so I’m going to have to switch on all of my young genes and try to recover as soon as possible," he added.

Djokovic will face off against Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo in the fourth round, marking their first encounter on tour.