This match is at night. Does that matter? Yes.
Why? First, because the players say it does, and thermodynamics does, too.
“I don’t like night sessions on clay,” Rafael Nadal said last week. “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.”
Advantage, Novak Djokovic, who has noted how at night and in any cold weather, the ball bounces lower, slowing the game down because players can’t tee off on it the way they might like, too.