The Novak factor: Coco Gauff shares desire to play first on Night Session at Australian Open but understands Djokovic dilemma

Coco Gauff due to her standing from the start of her tennis career is often designated onto the main show courts at Grand Slams including the 2024 Australian Open and has stated that she would love to play first in the Night Session if she is picked for that.

But Gauff who eased past Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in her first match sees a Novak Djokovic shaped dilemma in such a move which she understands from a tournament organiser point of view in that TV broadcasters and the fans want to see the 24-time Grand Slam champion on prime time.

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The US Open champion though admitted that it is perhaps easier to put the Women's Night match on first due to the maximum sets which is what was a complaint on opening night with Aryna Sabalenka being forced to play post-midnight due to Novak Djokovic having trouble against Dino Prizmic and Sabalenka blew away Ella Seidel following that in less than an hour so could've played both matches in that time.

"Yeah, I was watching Novak's match last night. I didn't know the player that he was playing. So I think the thought process was, you know, maybe usually he'll win his first round in pretty quick straight sets," said Gauff.

"So I think that's why they put Aryna [Sabalenka] after, thinking she would go on sooner. It ended up being like a three, I don't know, a three-hour-ish, maybe longer, match. I went to sleep before it was finished."

"Usually I always would, if I'm going to play night, I always would like to play the first night match, because usually typically the women's, our longest match is three hours usually. And then the men's, it can go minimum three or minimum two. At least you know with three sets it's going to be at least two hours, and that's even fast. With an average match, it's like three and a half.

"I personally, if I'm the women's match at night, I would love to play the first night match and not the second one. I would like to see that. But at the same time it's tough with also Novak being, you know, I don't know, he's won this more times than I can count. You know, putting him not on the prime slot, which is probably the 7:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. slot."

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