Carlos Alcaraz Urges an End to Late-Night Tennis Matches
Carlos Alcaraz has spoken out against the trend of tennis matches finishing in the early hours, after his US Open quarterfinal against Ben Shelton ended at 3:33 a.m., the latest finish ever recorded at the tournament.
"It is too much," Alcaraz said during a press event in London before the Laver Cup. "They have to make changes. Even finishing at midnight is already too late."
Late Night Finishes Becoming Commonplace
The past few years have seen a rise in matches dragging deep into the night at Grand Slams. In 2022, Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner set a previous US Open record by finishing at 2:50 a.m. Then in 2024, Novak Djokovic and Lorenzo Musetti played until 3:06 a.m. at the French Open.
This year’s US Open also featured a record-late match start, with Venus Williams and Sofia Kenin beginning their match at 12:13 a.m.
Impact on Players’ Recovery
Alcaraz described the toll these late finishes take on players. "Finishing at 3:30 means leaving the court at 4:30, then traveling back to the hotel. You don’t get to sleep until 6:30 or 7 in the morning," he explained. "That puts you at a disadvantage when trying to recover for your next match."
Scheduling Challenges at the US Open
The US Open typically schedules one men’s and one women’s night match each evening, starting soon after 7 p.m. But on the day of Alcaraz’s quarterfinal, two daytime matches extended into final-set tiebreaks, delaying the start of the first night match to around 8:20 p.m. This pushed the entire schedule back, resulting in the late finish.
The USTA did not respond to requests for comment. During the tournament, USTA director Craig Tiley defended the current scheduling, saying, "I hear many complaints about late finishes, but no one offers solutions."
Other Grand Slams Also Face Late Finish Issues
The Australian Open runs a similar two-match night session and holds the record for the latest Grand Slam finish ever: a 4:34 a.m. conclusion between Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis in 2008.
Roland-Garros introduced night sessions only recently, starting one match at 8:15 p.m. However, it has been criticized for mostly scheduling men’s matches during that time.
Only Wimbledon, with its strict 11 p.m. curfew due to neighborhood rules, has avoided these ultra-late finishes.
Alcaraz Calls for Matches to Start Earlier
"It's a shame a match like this didn't get more viewers because people had to go to bed or work the next day. If it started at 7 or 8 p.m. and finished by 11, the stadium would have been full. Many missed out because of the schedule," Alcaraz said.
