Players completing their rain-delayed matches on Wednesday joined in the complaints about playing in wet conditions at the French Open.
Agnieszka Radwanska and Simona Halep criticized the tournament on Tuesday, with the pair saying the courts were not playable. Their matches were the only ones that were completed that day, but others had similar comments as they returned to play.
"I think that we went on court when it wasn’t really playable," said Ernests Gulbis, who fell to David Goffin in the fourth round. "...I don’t think the players should walk on court while it’s raining."
His opponent agreed.
"Before we went on court it was raining,” Goffin said. “I wanted to go home.”
There were suggestions that organizers made the decision to resume play to avoid having to refund ticket holders. Spectators get a 50-percent refund if there is less than two hours of play on their court. On Philippe-Chatrier Court, Novak Djokovic and Roberto Bautista Agut played for two hours and one minute before stopping. That meant no refund for those in Chatrier, though spectators on other courts were eligible because no other match went longer than two hours.
Tournament director Guy Forget refuted the allegations, saying that the tournament referee decides whether the players go on court.
"Respect for the game always takes precedence," he said in a statement.
According to Forget, there was another four hours in which players could have returned, and the forecast suggested the rain could stop in 40 minutes.
"If what we are being accused of were true, it would have been in our best interests as organizers to stop play before the one hour and 59-minute mark, as our insurer would have been responsible for ticket reimbursement,” Forget said. “However, that was not the basis of our decision. Our aim was to play for as long as possible, even if that meant being criticized for playing in difficult conditions."
He also noted that the tournament cancelled play before 2 p.m. on Monday, allowing the players to adjust accordingly. The lack of play cost the tournament about two million euros, Forget said in a press conference that day.
"It is not what is important today,” he said, noting that the bigger issue is the inconvenience for spectators. “We have enough profits to absorb it.”
Players were unconvinced.
"It was a way to save the day and make money, and not have to refund the tickets," David Ferrer, who lost to Tomas Berdych in the fourth round, told Spanish reporters. "...Players are the least important factor for this tournament. They played for two hours and one minute and then they stopped. In my view, it doesn’t seem right."
Berdych agreed that organizers "don’t really see that it’s more about players than about the tournament, and added that “it was a nice example."
Some players emphasized concerns about safety, with Bautista Agut saying the balls were heavy, giving him arm problems. Others said that it was difficult to move.
Djokovic repeated concerns that umpires are not always equipped to determine whether conditions are playable.
"It’s the same for you and your opponent,” he said. “But it was a great mental test for all of us … I’m, in a way, glad to have [had] a match like this.”
More rain is in the forecast as the second Slam of the season enters the homestretch.