Carlos Alcaraz Urges an End to Matches Ending in the Early Hours
Carlos Alcaraz Demands Change on Late-Night Tennis Finishes
Carlos Alcaraz has voiced his frustration over matches that stretch into the early morning. His recent US Open quarterfinal against Ben Shelton wrapped up at 3:33 a.m., setting a new record for the latest finish in the tournament's history.
Speaking in London before the Laver Cup, Alcaraz said, "It is too much. They are going to have to do something. I’m not saying 3:30, but finishing at 12 is already too late."
Late finishes becoming a trend at Grand Slams
Matches running past midnight have become more common at major tournaments. Alcaraz himself was part of the previous US Open late-night record with Jannik Sinner when their match ended at 2:50 a.m. in 2022. At the 2024 French Open, Novak Djokovic and Lorenzo Musetti set a new milestone by finishing at 3:06 a.m.
This year’s US Open also saw a record for the latest match start time. Venus Williams faced Sofia Kenin beginning their match at 12:13 a.m.
The toll on players and fans
Alcaraz shared how such late finishes impact recovery: "For an athlete finishing at 3:30 in the morning, we left the courts at 4:30, then back to the hotel. You don’t go to bed until 6:30 or 7. To recover for the next match, the person you play has an advantage."
The US Open typically schedules one men’s and one women’s night match starting just after 7 p.m. This year, two daytime quarterfinals went to final-set tiebreaks, delaying the night session start to about 8:20 p.m. This pushed matches into the early hours, as seen with the Alcaraz-Shelton battle.
Responses from tournament officials
The USTA did not respond to requests for comment. Earlier, USTA director Craig Tiley defended the scheduling, saying, "I hear from a lot of 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 runs two night matches and has seen three finishes later than the Alcaraz-Shelton match, including the Grand Slam record at 4:34 a.m. set by Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis in 2008.
Roland-Garros introduced a single night session in 2021 starting at 8:15 p.m., mainly featuring men’s matches. This approach has drawn criticism for the evening slot’s male-dominated schedule.
Only Wimbledon, with its strict 11 p.m. curfew imposed by local regulations, avoids these late-night conclusions.
Alcaraz on fan experience
"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," 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. A lot had to miss it because of the schedule."
