Carlos Alcaraz Urges an End to Matches Ending in the Early Morning
Carlos Alcaraz has voiced strong concerns about tennis matches stretching into the early hours, following his US Open quarterfinal defeat against Ben Shelton which concluded at 3:33 a.m., marking the latest finish ever recorded at the tournament.
Speaking in London before the start of the Laver Cup, Alcaraz said, "It is too much. They will have to do something. I'm not saying 3:30, but finishing at 12 is already too late."
Increasing Frequency of Late Finishes at Grand Slams
Late-night conclusions have become more common at major tournaments. Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner previously held the US Open record with a 2:50 a.m. finish in 2022. At the 2024 French Open, a match between Novak Djokovic and Lorenzo Musetti ended at 3:06 a.m., pushing boundaries further.
During this year's US Open, Venus Williams and Sofia Kenin set a record for the latest start time, beginning their match at 12:13 a.m.
Impact on Player Recovery and Fairness
Alcaraz explained the toll these late matches take: "Finishing at 3:30 means leaving the court at 4:30, then returning to the hotel, so you don’t go to bed until 6:30 or 7 in the morning. To recover for the next match, the opponent who didn’t play late has an advantage."
The US Open schedules one men's and one women's night session each evening, with the first match planned to start shortly after 7 p.m. Yet, during the quarterfinals, two day matches on Tuesday went into final-set tiebreaks. This delayed the first night match start to about 8:20 p.m., triggering a chain reaction that led to the marathon between Alcaraz and Shelton.
Responses From Tournament Organizers
The USTA did not respond to requests for comments. Earlier in the tournament, USTA director Craig Tiley defended the current scheduling approach, stating, "I hear from many people that it finishes too late, and then I say, 'Okay, and your suggestion is?' I don’t get anything."
Other Grand Slams Face Similar Issues
The Australian Open also uses a two-match night session and has seen finishes later than the Shelton-Alcaraz match, including the Grand Slam record at 4:34 a.m. in 2008 between Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis.
Roland-Garros introduced a night session in 2021, featuring a single match starting at 8:15 p.m., yet it has been criticized for scheduling mostly men's matches in this slot.
Wimbledon remains the only Grand Slam with a strict 11 p.m. curfew due to local regulations, avoiding such late finishes.
Alcaraz Reflects on Audience Impact
"It’s a shame a match like this didn’t reach many people because they have to go to bed and work the next day," Alcaraz said. "If that match had started at 7 or 8 p.m., finishing by 11 at the latest, the stadium would have been packed. Many missed it because of the schedule."
