Wozniacki hits out at Wimbledon over scheduling

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  • Annoyed: Wozniacki.

    Caroline Wozniacki feels women are not scheduled fairly on the bigger courts at Wimbledon after the world No 5 crashed out of the tournament to No 20 seed Garbine Muguruza 6-4, 6-4 on Monday.

    With no tennis played on Middle Sunday, all last 16 matches of both the men and women were played yesterday with the ladies all scheduled early on six different courts so they could have the maximum time possible to rest before returning for the quarter-finals today.

    That unique scheduling – which does not happen at the other three grand slams – meant that Wozniacki played her fourth round against Muguruza on Court No 2.

    Only two ladies matches were scheduled on the big courts with Serena Williams taking on her sister Venus on Centre Court and Maria Sharapova facing Zarina Diyas on Court No 1.

    Wozniacki called out the organisers, implying that the scheduling was preferential towards the men.

    “I would love to play on a big court. I think that’s what it’s all about. You work hard and practice to play on the big courts,” said Wozniacki, a former world No 1.

    “The women really haven’t gotten the opportunity here to play on the big courts. You only get one women’s match on Court 1 and Centre Court. Most of last week it was only one women’s match on Court 2 as well.

    “It’s definitely different. That’s all I can say.I think a lot of us women feel like we deserve to play on the big courts in front of a big crowd, as well.”

    Wozniacki, who has made it to the fourth round here on five occasions but has never reached the quarter-finals, admits Wimbledon feels different due to Middle Sunday and the unusual scheduling.

    “It feels different for some reason. I think if you’re in the fourth round in a grand slam, in any of the other slams you know you’re going to play on a big court because there’s very few matches left,” she added.

    “Then all of a sudden here you come into the second week – I think it’s great for the spectators, they get to see top players on outside courts – but you kind of feel like you have to start over.”

    Meanwhile, Muguruza was delighted after she entered her first career quarter-final at Wimbledon and will take on Swiss No 15 seed Timea Bacsinszky today.

    Bacsinszky has a fairytale story that saw her stop playing tennis – she struggled psychologically due to abuse suffered in her childhood from her father – only to return to tennis and reach No 15 in the world.

    “She has a reason to play, when you have something like this inside. Every time you go to the court, you want to fight and win,” Muguruza said of Bacsinszky, who made the French Open semis last month. 

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