Roger Federer hits back at claims of preferential scheduling
Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer has hit back at allegations that he uses his status in order to get preferred scheduling. This comes after former tennis player Julien Benneteau accused the 20-time Grand Slam champion of receiving favorable slots. Benneteau used the last two Australian Opens as evidence to which Federer replied saying the facts are not right. Here's more.
Federer played many matches in night session: Benneteau
According to a report in France's RMC Sport, Benneteau said that Federer used his status to avoid the heat in Australia and instead play at night. "Over the last two Australian Opens, he played 14 matches, because he was champion and finalist. And he played 12 or 13 of them in the night session," said the Frenchman.
'Federer has no idea what conditions are like'
"It's normal that he gets preferential treatment, with everything he's done. But, in some tournaments, there are big differences in the conditions. He has no idea what that's like," said the former tennis player, Benneteau.
How has the Australian Open director responded?
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley has released a statement saying the scheduling of Roger's matches in evening or night was solely a response to fan demand. He added that fans wanted to watch a "once-in-a-generation athlete", and that is why the scheduling was done that way. Nobody catered to Federer's demands. He denied any conflict of interest.
A lot of the facts are not right, says Federer
Federer responded that the facts aren't right despite, sometimes, the tournament management coming and asking him about the schedule. "Yeah, sometimes they come ask, sometimes they don't. But a lot of the facts are not right, just to be clear there, from what I heard," said the ace. He added that Julien is a nice guy and things have been taken out of context.
Federer clears the air
"Sometimes they ask me, you know, Asia wants you to play at night. Yes, sometimes we have our say. But I asked to play Monday at the US Open and I played Tuesday night...Sometimes I get help, sometimes I don't," said Federer.
