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‘Heard This S**T Too Often..’- Amid Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff Controversy, Angry Roger Federer’s Rare Us Open Outburst Paints Grim Reality of a Recurring Issue

Published 09/06/2023, 10:57 AM EDT

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With the US Open going on in full swing, the young tennis talent is dominating the court. However, that does not remove the old issue of irregular match scheduling that has affected multiple tennis players time and again. This ranges from the 2019 US Open outburst of Roger Federer who bashed the claims that he influenced the scheduling of the matches. In the current scenario, Jelena Ostapenko has taken a dig at the unfair scheduling of her match against Coco Gauff. Then John McEnroe pointed out the worries of Novak Djokovic.

The list goes on. But the underlying issue remains the same. The scheduling of matches needs to take players’ well-being into consideration, which the US Open has quite openly lacked to do so. Is it dominant players’ bias or just a candid situation popping up time and again?

Roger Federer backlash comes into the limelight once again as Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic highlight the US Open’s inefficient scheduling

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The Swiss Maestro back in 2019 had one of the rare outbursts at the US Open. He did not hold back from refuting the player’s biased claim. Roger Federer had gone against Dan Evans in the third-round match of the 2019 US Open.

Evans claimed that the schedule had been moved up for Federer’s convenience. Moreover, no one took into consideration that Evans had played a four-set grueling match, not even a whole day prior to that. Consequently, he had little time to recuperate from the same.

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But this set off Federer in a rare outburst where he ignored all such claims. As reported by The Guardian, he stated, “I knew there were questions to have a preference. But that doesn’t mean, like, ‘Roger asks, Roger gets.’ Just remember that.”

via Reuters

Culminating this outburst, he added, “Because I have heard this s**t too often now. I’m sick and tired of it–that, apparently, I call the shots.”

However, the US Open might have chosen to side with his opinion instead of a low-ranked player like Evans. This issue is something that the US Open could not deal with even in 2023.

A similar issue has popped up with Jelena Ostapenko after her match against Coco Gauff. Besides that, John McEnroe has highlighted the plight of Arthur Ashe Stadium for Novak Djokovic.

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Gauff and Novak Djokovic get entangled in this year’s grueling schedule of the US Open 

The Serbian tennis star has outrightly confessed his discontent over the $150 million roof over the Arthur Ashe Stadium. Moreover, John McEnroe questioned if Djokovic had to play on the hottest day of the tournament or if the authorities would pull up the roof for the match. Eventually, the roof was half-pulled to protect the players from the scorching heat.

Besides that, Jelena Ostapenko also took a dig at the US Open authorities. She confessed she did not expect that because she needed the time to recuperate from her previous match. Nonetheless, she had to go against Gauff without getting a proper rest.

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Do you think the scheduling of the US Open matches shows the preferential bias of the major? Let us know your views in the comments below.

WATCH THIS STORY: Distressing Serena Williams Reality Leaves Gaping Void That’s Nearly Impossible to Fill for Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek

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Written by:

Shivali Sharma

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Shivali Sharma is a tennis writer at EssentiallySports, who specializes in off-court topics and has a particular focus on the legendary ‘Queen of the Court’, Serena Williams. With a wealth of experience in the industry, Shivali has authored numerous articles covering varied topics concerning the 23-time Grand Slam champion, including her personal life, career, and more. In addition to her work on Serena Williams, Shivali is also a huge fan of Naomi Osaka and admires the four-time Major winner, particularly for her advocacy for mental health.
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Edited by:

Amal Joyce