Here's Why You're Going To Miss The Djokovic-Nadal Semi Tomorrow

Well, tomorrow is the big day! Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal. The semifinal that's effectively the French Final. The 7-time French champion versus the guy who has won every Grand Slam except this one. Tennis's most exciting rivalry. It has everything, except now you will miss most or all of it.

On French semis day there are two time slots: One that begins at 7 a.m. on the east coast (1 p.m. in Paris) and one that begins whenever the first one ends—you know, 10 to 11 a.m ish. The Tennis Channel will broadcast the first semi; NBC takes the second. Obviously, Djokovic-Nadal is the marquee match, so that'll get the preferred (read: late) time slot, yes?

Also, the match will not be streamed online. So if you don't have The Tennis Channel, tough. If you have things to do between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m.,—you know, sleep or commute into work—tough. The late time slot is the manageable one. You're settled in at work by then, everyone has NBC, and, if you can't use a TV, NBC usually streams the match online. Why won't the Tennis Channel stream it? I have no idea.

How'd this happen? Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's fault. Tsonga is trying to become the first Frenchman to make it to a men's final in Paris in 25 years, and they're giving that preference. This is obviously lovely and will put a jolt in Philippe Chatrier and would make an otherwise meh semifinal pretty exciting. But for the love of God: David Ferrer and Tsonga is the match most of us are going to watch tomorrow? Screw the French.