Emma Raducanu called out the French Open organizers on Monday over giving "preferential treatment" to the top players when it comes to selecting who gets to practice on the biggest courts and it worked out since she was given an opportunity to hit on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Tuesday morning.
In her opening match at Roland Garros, the British tennis player dealt with sickness but still managed to win a tight one against Wang Xinyu 7-5 4-6 6-3 and set up a meeting against Iga Swiatek.
Shortly after making a triumphant start in Paris, Raducanu had something she wanted to tell – and it was to make clear what she didn't like at all at the French Open. In her message, the 2021 US Open champion pretty much said that if you were not a top player, you would not get a chance to practice on the biggest courts at Roland Garros – even if your next match was scheduled for one of the main courts.
Raducanu: Certain players get preferred treatment at the French Open
“I honestly think it's really difficult, because the tournament don't really help in terms of getting you court time on the bigger courts or on like the match courts, really. I feel like, I don't know, certain players get preferred treatment. It's very different from at the annex, for example, across the road or other courts to then kind of jump onto Chatrier or jump on to a stadium. It isn't easy. I wish they would give us more opportunities on stadium or bigger courts, especially if we're going to play on them," Raducanu said on Monday after beating Wang.
Since Raducanu is playing Swiatek next, her match will very likely be scheduled for Court Philippe-Chatrier – which will make her first appearance on the French Open's main court.
On Tuesday, she was allowed to practice on the court. With that being said, the 22-year-old's decision to publicly call out the French Open certainly worked out pretty well for her.
