By Randy Walker
@TennisPublisher
Roger Federer has a bit of a hate, not-hate-as-much attitude toward the first Sunday start to the French Open. The 2015 tournament marks the third year in a row that Federer will play in the opening Sunday session of the tournament after controversially playing in the first-ever opening Sunday session.
Starting in 2006, the French Open extended its tournament to a 15th day, starting the event on an opening Sunday – to extend the event into three weekends, creating additional ticket, concession and TV revenue. For its experimental first day of Grand Slam tennis played on an opening day Sunday, the French Tennis Federation placed Federer on the schedule. As documented in my day-to-day history of Federer’s career “The Days of Roger Federer” (for sale here on amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1937559378/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_w5syvb1YJ53ZD) Federer was not too pleased to with the French Tennis Federation’s decision to start the event on a Sunday – and for him to be on the schedule for this guinea pig of a first day.
The following is the Federer book excerpt from that opening day May 28, 2006.
2006 – In the first ever Sunday start at the French Open, Roger Federer is on the day’s schedule, despite not requesting it, and is not pleased. Federer does beat Argentine lucky loser Diego Hartfield 7-5, 7-6 (2), 6-2, in two hours 35 minutes, but vents his displeasure with the scheduling in his post-match press conference. “I only knew one day ahead who I was going to play, and I never heard of his name or never seen him before,” Federer says of Hartfield, who replaced Federer’s original opponent, Arnaud Clement of France, who pulls out of the tournament the day before due to injury. “I’m happy I didn’t lose, because otherwise I’d be very angry right now…. I requested not to play Sunday, so I wasn’t happy to play today. But I’m through.” Federer then jokes, “I can go home to Switzerland, come back in four days and be ready for Wednesday.”
Following Federer’s vocal displeasure of the Sunday start – and his participation – Federer was not placed on the first Sunday schedule until May 26, 2013. As documented in the book excerpt again below, Federer returned to the first Sunday slot, but only after receiving advanced approval from the French Tennis Federation.
2013 – Starting his French Open campaign by playing on the controversial first Sunday, Roger Federer defeats Spanish qualifier Pablo Carreno-Busta 6-2, 6-2, 6-3. “I told them if they wanted me to play Sunday, whatever, I’m fine with it,” says Federer, seeded No. 2, of French Open officials and the Sunday start. “They took that opportunity right away.” Federer loses only seven points on his first serve in the match against the No. 164-ranked player, playing in a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career. Says Carreno-Busta of first learning he would face Federer in his major tournament debut, “My first thought was ‘What bad luck!’ I wanted to win and move ahead in the tournament and improve my ranking, and playing against someone like Federer is going to make that difficult. But as I thought about it more … I tried to appreciate it.”
In 2014, Federer was again placed on the opening Sunday schedule, where he defeated Lukas Lacko 6-2, 6-4, 6-2. In his post-match press conference, Federer was warmer to the Sunday start concept.
“In a way it makes sense for tennis tournaments to start on a Saturday/Sunday rather than on Monday,” Federer said after his Sunday win over Lacko in 2014. “I don’t necessarily agree that the French Open has a Sunday start and 15 days of Grand Slam over Wimbledon having 13, let’s say. But I enjoyed it myself….I remember the first year when they introduced it I played on a Sunday and I refused to play on the Sunday and they made me play on it, so by now everything is more laid back, you know, and I was actually very pleased to see a full crowd almost for a first round.”
The French Tennis Federation have taken advantage of Federer’s non-complaint of playing on Sunday from 2013 and now, in 2015, he finds himself on the Sunday schedule for a third year in a row. It is there will he will start his goal of having the opportunity to play on the third Sunday of the tournament and playing for another major title.
