Third round match US Open between Aryna Sabalenka and Ekaterina Alexandrova took place in extraordinary circumstances. The women started playing eight minutes after midnight local time. They finished just before 2 a.m. It was the latest match in the history of the US Open.
The next day the situation repeated itself. This time Qinwen Zheng and Donna Vekić played until 2:15 a.m. New York time. This is the latest match in the history of the women's singles bracket in New York. Both players were not happy with the fact that they had to play in such conditions. And they were not alone. Other players, experts and journalists did not hide their irritation.
Andy Murray is commentating, Eurosport is commentating
Former ATP leader Andy Murray wrote on Twitter: “The scheduling is a total mess and amateur. Players shouldn't be playing until 2-4 am. Solve this.” He addressed his tweet to the authorities of the Grand Slam events, ATP, WTA and ITF officials. British tennis journalist Simon Cambers responded to the comment. “True, but I don't get the impression that the authorities tennis They wanted to fix it,” he pointed out.
Eurosport commentators Karol Stopa and Lech Sidor also commented on the commotion. During Karolina Muchowa's match with Jasmine Paolini, they quoted Murray's statement. “It's hard to disagree with her,” Sidor said. “It's an absurd situation. Playing tennis well after midnight is not exactly normal,” Stopa added.
The tennis players playing in New York are also fed up. Sabalenka, in her own style, laughed on Twitter: “Going to bed at 3 a.m., waking up at noon. Not so bad.” Of course, you can joke about this situation, but it's laughter through tears. Playing matches at night is troublesome for everyone, especially for tennis players. And this is during a Grand Slam tournament, when the highest prize money, points and prestige are at stake. Additionally, in such circumstances, tennis players are exposed to enormous fatigue and injuries.
Why is this happening?
But the fans also suffer from the late hours. Matches are played during the week, when New Yorkers go to work every morning. Not everyone can afford to spend time on the court until late at night. As a result, the stands can be empty, which is inappropriate for matches of such great importance. Such conditions do not attract viewers to their TVs or laptops, and do not build the seriousness of the discipline.
Why do the matches in New York end so late? The evening session starts at 7 p.m. It includes two matches (one each in the women's and men's brackets). This is different from Roland Garros, where the organizers usually schedule one match (for the last two years only in the men's bracket) in the evening session starting later (8:30 p.m.).
Perhaps a better solution in this situation would be to move the start time of the night session in New York to 6 p.m.? Especially since there is usually a break between one match of this session and the next. fansso that they had time to eat or drink. The break last Friday between Alexei Popyrin's match with Novak Djokovic and Sabalenka's clash with Aleksandrova lasted an hour. Earlier, Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe competed on the main court for over four hours. It was for these reasons that the tennis players went out to play after midnight.
Some experts and fans are coming back with a postulate to shorten the men's bracket matches in the Grand Slam, introducing the rule of two won sets – the same as in the women's. Men also play in this formula, but only in ATP and Davis Cup tournaments. The three-four-five-set distance is, however, an element of the Grand Slam tradition, which many do not want to give up. Perhaps it would be enough for the organizers of the US Open to introduce minor changes in the start times of the matches.
A similar problem may also occur on Thursday, for example. The women's singles semifinals are scheduled for 7 p.m. that day. If these are two three-set matches, it is possible that the competition on the court will extend until midnight again.
The New York tournament authorities are trying to reconcile their own interests, those of the players, sponsors and television broadcasters. This is understandable, but the problem arises when the well-being of the athletes – theoretically the most important in this arrangement – is put last.