French Open 2022 - Paris at night? It runs hot and cold with the players

PARIS — When Roland-Garros organizers added night sessions to the schedule for the first time last year, they had matches such as Tuesday's slate in mind, as Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal go head-to-head for a place in the semifinals.

It's a repeat of last year's semifinal, which had an electric atmosphere despite only 5,000 fans being allowed in due to COVID-19 restrictions. On Tuesday, there will be a capacity crowd of almost 15,000 and a huge TV audience worldwide.

Preceded by a special DJ session to get the crowd warmed up, the evening sessions have a noticeably different vibe from the day matches. But the fans still seem happy, and Amazon TV — which paid for exclusive rights to show the night sessions in France in a three-year deal — seems happy.

But a lot of players don't like them, especially Nadal, whose heavy topspin does not work as well when conditions are humid and the temperature is cooler.

«I don't like night sessions on clay,» Nadal said after his fourth-round win. «I say the other day. I am very clear with that. I don't like to play on clay during the night, because humidity is higher, the ball is slower, and can be very heavy conditions especially when it's cold.

»I think that makes a big difference on the way tennis is played on clay during the night and during the day."

Alexander Zverev, the No. 3 seed who faces Carlos Alcaraz in the quarters Tuesday, agrees.

Nadal/Djokovic LIX pic.twitter.com/gvEWUTvmEr

«I don't mind the evening sessions when it's 30 degrees [Celsius, 86 Fahrenheit] during the day, you know,» he said after his fourth-round win. «When it's 14 degrees, like today, then in the night it's going to be what, 8, 9, something like that, it gets difficult.

»Because my serve is going to be