- The 124th French Open is underway in Paris on the clay courts of Roland Garros, and the second round will start soon.
- Iga Świątek is going for her fifth French Open title, and fourth in a row, despite not being in the best form in 2025.
- Her second-round opponent, Emma Raducanu, has claimed the French Open allows more practice time for star players on the bigger courts, putting the rest of the field at a disadvantage.
The second major of the tennis season, the French Open, has started in Paris at Roland Garros, famous for its clay courts. The usual suspects are at the top of the board, according to the odds, but one player on the outside of the favorites isn’t happy.
Emma Raducanu is preparing to face four-time French Open champion Iga Świątek on Wednesday morning. The British player claims the organizers of the tournament favor star players in terms of practicing and playing on bigger courts.
Raducanu Claims “Certain Players Get Preferred Treatment” on Big Courts
Following her three-set win over China’s Wang Xinyu in the first round, Raducanu was interviewed and claimed that the bigger players get more time on the headline courts.
Raducanu said:
“I feel like certain players get preferred treatment. 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 onto a stadium. It isn’t easy.
I wish they would give us more opportunities on the stadium or bigger courts, especially if we’re going to play on them.”
“Chatrier” is Center Court Philippe-Chatrier, the biggest court at Roland Garros. It can seat 15,000 people. Raducanu played Xinyu on Court 8, which can hold up to 2,000 people. The British player, ranked 41st in the world, continued:
“That court today, it was cute, intimate. I like you can really feel the fans and their support, because sometimes on a bigger court, if it is not full, it feels a little bit empty. There you’re right in the thick of it.
There is a lot going on. There are other courts around. There’s a lot of noise. There’s music. But it was good I think for me to stay focused and really centered on the match in front of me. But yeah, it does take a little bit of just adjustment.”
It seemed like the organizers listened to Raducanu, who practiced today at Philippe-Chatrier in her first time playing on the stadium court. The 22-year-old practiced for 30 minutes before play started for the day.
Raducanu was recently in the headlines, although as a side character. She was playing American Danielle Collins in Strasbourg ahead of the French Open. Collins chastised a cameraman for being too close to her and Raducanu during a third-set changeover.
Does Emma Raducanu Have a Point?
This wasn’t a personal attack on Swiatek by Raducanu, but she does have a point. Women’s French Open odds for their match have Swiatek as a massive favorite, and many factors go into that line. Swiatek can be found as a -1300 favorite at some tennis betting sites, which makes her a considerable favorite.
You’d have to wonder if experience on bigger courts plays into that. It does make a difference when you’re playing in from of 2,000 people, where it feels like the fans are on top of you. Then, you go to a 15,000-person stadium, which has to feel cavernous to some players, especially your first time. From the sound of hitting the ball, to how the ball reacts in the air, it’s just different on a larger court.
The organizers are also there to make money, and they will get more people in seats by having the biggest players in the stadium. Swiatek has earned that right, with four French Open titles, including three straight.
But Raducanu is bringing something to light that has been said for years. There may not be an easy fix for it as the organizers try to maximize profit. But even more practice time for players lower in the rankings would be a start.
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