The 9 pm start in Paris makes for a whole different game of tennis.
The night is quiet and the air heavy.
Iga Swiatek took her time getting into her fourth-round clash against the 18-year-old Marta Kostyuk on Monday.
A night match.
She needed most of the first set to find momentum for a crack at the Ukrainian’s fierce defense.
The 20-year-old Pole, who began her title defence on court Philippe Chatrier a week ago in broad daylight, said the conditions for the two games were completely different.
Day and night.
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She preferred to bask in the sunshine.
Sport was Tamara Zidansek’s stage from the moment she swung a tennis racket.Swiatek, who sealed an 6-3, 6-4 win, to move into the last-eight, said, “I sometimes struggle at the beginning (of night matches) to find rhythm, to see the ball properly with the lights, not with the sun.” Kei Nishikori, who fell to Alexander Zverev in the fourth round on Sunday, said the conditions were heavier at night.
“The weather gets little bit colder.
The balls get a little heavy and the bounce, a little bit slower than when it is sunny.
My serve had a tough time to get going, get good speed.
It was little bit tough serving.” Roland Garros joined the hard-court Slams – Flushing Meadows and Melbourne Park – this year in scheduling night sessions.
The night outs on court Philippe Chatrier, however, is without spectators because of a 9pm local curfew.
Swiatek, who much like her idol Rafael Nadal, likes to play under the sun, added that night matches were difficult.
“Playing the night session is always hard, you have to change the whole rhythm of the day, change the routines,” the defending champion argued.
Roger Federer, who might’ve played his last match at Roland Garros before empty stands last week, pointed at the chasm between the early and late sessions on clay.
“Day and night (matches) on clay have a huge difference,” the 39-year-old said.
“On hard courts, you feel that it’s quite similar.
On clay there is a big difference, which is a big challenge for the players.”