The world's third-ranked Spanish player, Carlos Alcaraz, has called on officials to bring an end to matches played deep into the night at Grand Slam tournaments, as reported by Slobodna Dalmacija.
Alcaraz, at the US Open, was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Ben Shelton, a match that concluded at 3:33 in the morning. The five-set encounter (6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10/7)) began on Tuesday evening and ended on Wednesday morning after four minutes and 28 seconds of play. This made it the latest finishing match in the history of the US Open.
At a press conference in London ahead of the Laver Cup, Al-Asir described what such a schedule means for a player. 'For a player finishing a match at 3:30 in the morning, it means leaving the court at 4:30 and then returning to the hotel,' he said. 'You do not go to bed before 6:30 or 7:00 in the morning. In terms of recovery before the next match, the opponent has the advantage. This is too much. Action must be taken. I am not just talking about 3:30 in the morning; even finishing at midnight is too late.'
Al-Asir, who has won seven Grand Slam titles, is not the only one facing late-night finishes. Novak Djokovic's victory over Lorenzo Musetti in 2024 in Paris ended at 3:07 in the morning, and matches in New York or Melbourne often run deep into the night. At Wimbledon, there is a rule that matches are interrupted at 23:00 local time, while the US Open, Roland-Garros, and the Australian Open have no set time for when play must stop.
Possible solutions include format changes. One suggestion is that matches at Grand Slam tournaments be played as best-of-two sets, as is the case in other ATP tournaments. Novak Djokovic proposed in August reducing the number of games required to win a set from six to four.
Andre Agassi, winner of eight Grand Slam titles and captain of the World Team in the Laver Cup, insisted that people should admire players who have pushed their limits. 'I am absolutely convinced that we should keep the five-set format,' said Agassi. 'I also do not want it to last long. It is sad. I have often been in such a situation. We do what we can, but it is still a gladiatorial sport. I love it.' He added: 'There should be a difference between winning a Grand Slam tournament and other tournaments played during the year.'
