Alcaraz Criticizes Late-Night US Open Finishes
Tennis star Carlos Alcaraz expressed frustration over the U.S. Open's late-night match schedules, citing the physical and competitive disadvantages they create.
Tennis star Carlos Alcaraz has voiced his dissatisfaction with the U.S. Open's scheduling practices, particularly the late finishes that push matches into the early morning hours. Speaking in London, Alcaraz described the experience of finishing a quarterfinal match against Ben Shelton at 3:33 a.m. as "too much."
This late finish set a new U.S. Open record, surpassing the previous mark of 2:50 a.m. set in a 2022 match between Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Alcaraz explained that such finishes significantly impact player recovery, often delaying bedtime until 6:30 or 7 a.m., which he believes gives opponents an advantage in subsequent matches.
"For an athlete finishing at 3:30 in the morning, it means we had to leave the courts at 4:30, then back to the hotel," Alcaraz stated, according to Front Office Sports. "You don’t go to bed until 6:30 or 7 in the morning. To recover for the next match, the person you play has an advantage."
The lengthy quarterfinal match between Alcaraz and Shelton, which went to five sets, was a highlight for many fans but was hindered by an earlier domino effect that pushed the night session's start time back by over an hour, beginning around 8:20 p.m.
Alcaraz suggested that earlier start times could benefit both players and viewership. "It is a shame a match like this didn’t reach a lot of people because they have to go to bed, they have to work in the morning," he said. "If that match had started at 7 or 8 p.m., at the maximum finishing at 11, the stadium would have been packed. A lot had to miss it because of the schedule."
Despite the late finish, the match still drew an average of 1.3 million viewers on ESPN.
U.S. Open chief Craig Tiley defended the tournament's scheduling to Sky Sports, acknowledging concerns about late finishes but questioning the practicality of alternatives. "I hear from a lot of people that it finishes too late and then I say, OK, and your suggestion is? I don’t get anything," Tiley commented. "You can’t control the length of the match."