Carlos Alcaraz Urges an End to Matches Ending in the Early Morning
Carlos Alcaraz has expressed frustration with tennis matches running into the early hours, calling on tournament officials to address the issue. His recent US Open quarterfinal loss to Ben Shelton wrapped up at 3:33 a.m., setting a new record for the latest finish in the event's history.
"It's too much," Alcaraz said during a press conference in London ahead of the Laver Cup. "They need to make changes. I'm not saying no matches should end after 3:30 a.m., but finishing even at midnight is already too late."
Rise of Late-Night Endings at Grand Slams
The trend of matches stretching into the night has grown in recent years. Previously, Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner held the US Open record for the latest finish at 2:50 a.m. in 2022. At the 2024 French Open, Novak Djokovic and Lorenzo Musetti pushed the limits further by ending their match at 3:06 a.m.
This year's US Open also saw a new record for the latest start time when Venus Williams and Sofia Kenin began their match at 12:13 a.m.
Challenges of Playing So Late
Alcaraz described the difficulty of finishing a match so late: "We left the court around 4:30 a.m., then got back to the hotel. You don’t end up sleeping until 6:30 or 7 in the morning. Recovering for the next match becomes tough, and the opponent who plays earlier has an edge."
The US Open schedules one men's and one women's night session each day, typically starting shortly after 7 p.m. But during the quarterfinals, two daytime matches extended into final-set tiebreaks, delaying the night matches and causing a chain reaction that led to the marathon between Alcaraz and Shelton.
Response from Tournament Organizers
The USTA did not respond to requests for comment. Earlier in the tournament, USTA director Craig Tiley defended the current scheduling, saying, "I hear people say matches finish too late, but then I ask what they suggest as a solution, and I get no answer."
Late Finishes Across Other Grand Slams
Other major tournaments have also faced struggles with late-night play. The Australian Open’s night sessions feature two matches and have recorded finishes even later than the Alcaraz-Shelton match, including the longest Grand Slam finish ever—between Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis in 2008, which ended at 4:34 a.m.
Roland-Garros introduced a single-match night session in 2021 starting at 8:15 p.m., but has been criticized for mostly scheduling men’s matches in this slot.
Among the Grand Slams, only Wimbledon has avoided these late finishes due to a strict 11 p.m. curfew enforced by local regulations.
Alcaraz Reflects on Audience Impact
"It’s a shame such a great match didn’t reach many fans because they had to sleep or work the next day," Alcaraz remarked. "If it started at 7 or 8 p.m., finishing by 11, the stadium would be full. Many missed out because of the schedule."
