"Even worse, putting that rat over Iga Swiatek & Elena Rybakina" - Fans frustrated by Alexander Zverev receiving Centre Court slot on Wimbledon Day 6

The court assignments for Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina and Alexander Zverev's third-round matches at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships have sparked frustration among tennis fans. Their matches are scheduled for Day 6 of the grasscourt Major on Saturday, July 6.

Zverev will kick off the day's action on Centre Court at 1:30 p.m. local time, battling it out against home favorite Cameron Norrie for a place in the fourth round. Following that, two-time finalist Ons Jabeur will face Elina Svitolina in a blockbuster clash. Novak Djokovic will wrap up the day's play as he continues his pursuit of an eighth Wimbledon title against Alexei Popyrin.

Over on Court 1, play commences at 1 p.m. with Ben Shelton and Denis Shapovalov resuming their clash, where the American holds a 3-2 lead in the opening set. Next, Iga Swiatek will take on Yulia Putintseva, followed by Elena Rybakina and Caroline Wozniacki taking the court for their highly anticipated encounter.

Emma Raducanu and Andy Murray's much-awaited mixed doubles clash against Zhang Shuai and Marcelo Arevalo will conclude the day's play on Court 1.

Tennis fans did not take kindly to Alexander Zverev's match being scheduled on Centre Court over World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and the 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, with one fan raising complaints about the trend of female players receiving fewer opportunities to play on the main court compared to the men.

"Five straight days of 2 men / 1 women on Centre Court... and to make it even worse they're putting that rat f**k over Iga/Poots and Lena/Woz," one fan posted.

"Wimbledon giving multiple Centre Court appearances to Zverev (who honestly hasn’t played any intriguing matches), and not giving their former champ Rybakina the CC match even when playing Wozniacki… just doesn’t sit right with me," another fan chimed in.

"The rat playing on centre again should be a cr!me," said another.

"Best of 5 Norrie- Zverev sounds like the most boring thing ever lmao. Should’ve just out the match you mentioned and Murray’s mixed doubles on there as a 4th," another fan contended.

Fans continued to voice their discontent with the scheduling, with one suggesting that the matches on Court 1 appeared more exciting than those on Centre Court.

"No.1 seed is less important to you and no.10 gets centre court?" one fan wrote.

"Court 1 matches look better today lol," another fan posted.

"Again no centre court for Iga!" another fan commented.

Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina on course for potential SF clash at Wimbledon 2024; Alexander Zverev aims for maiden QF at SW19

Iga Swiatek (L) and Elena Rybakina (Source: Getty)

If Iga Swiatek triumphs over Yulia Putintseva in their third-round clash at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, she will face Jelena Ostapenko or Bernarda Pera in the fourth round. The World No. 1's potential quarterfinal opponents include Danielle Collins, Beatriz Haddad Maia, Barbora Krejcikova or Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.

Meanwhile, Elena Rybakina will be up against the winner of the match between Anna Kalinskaya and Liudmila Samsonova if she beats Caroline Wozniacki. One of Ons Jabeur, Elina Svitolina, Harriet Dart or Wang Xinyu will be the World No. 4's quarterfinal opponent.

If both Iga Swiatek and Rybakina get past the quarterfinals, they will set up a blockbuster semifinal clash at the grasscourt Major. The Kazakh enjoys a 4-2 lead in her head-to-head record against Swiatek, including a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory in their most recent clash in the semifinals of the 2024 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.

On the men's side, Alexander Zverev will battle it out against Taylor Fritz or Alejandro Tabilo if he triumphs over Cameron Norrie. Should the World No. 4 emerge victorious in the Round of 16, he will advance to his maiden quarterfinal at SW19.