Carlos Alcaraz Urges an End to Matches Ending in the Early Hours

Carlos Alcaraz has spoken out against tennis matches that stretch into the early morning. His US Open quarterfinal against Ben Shelton ended at 3:33 a.m., setting a record for the latest finish in tournament history.

"It is too much," Alcaraz said during a press event in London, a day before the Laver Cup started. "They have to do something. I’m not saying 3:30 a.m., but even finishing at midnight is already too late."

Growing Trend of Late Finishes at Grand Slams

Late-night matches have become more common at major tennis events. Back in 2022, Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner finished a US Open match at 2:50 a.m., setting the previous record. The French Open witnessed a 3:06 a.m. finish in 2024 when Novak Djokovic faced Lorenzo Musetti.

At this year's US Open, Venus Williams and Sofia Kenin also broke records by starting their match at 12:13 a.m., the latest start time on record for the tournament.

The Toll on Players

Alcaraz shared what such late finishes mean for players physically and mentally. "For a match ending at 3:30 a.m., we left the courts at 4:30, then returned to the hotel. You don’t go to sleep until 6:30 or 7 in the morning," he explained. "The next day, the opponent might have an advantage because they rested better."

The US Open's schedule includes one men's and one women's night session each evening, typically starting just after 7 p.m. But during the recent quarterfinals, delays in earlier matches caused the first night session to begin around 8:20 p.m., pushing Alcaraz and Shelton’s five-set marathon deep into the night.

Responses from Organizers

The USTA did not respond to requests for comment. Earlier in the tournament, USTA director Craig Tiley defended the scheduling, stating, "I hear from many people that matches finish too late, and I ask, 'What’s your suggestion?' I don’t get any answers."

Other Grand Slam tournaments face similar challenges. The Australian Open also schedules two night matches and holds the record for the latest Grand Slam finish ever—4:34 a.m. in 2008 between Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis. The French Open introduced a night session in 2021 that starts at 8:15 p.m., usually with just one match, but has been criticized for mostly scheduling men’s matches in that slot.

Only Wimbledon avoids these late finishes due to a strict 11 p.m. curfew set by local rules.

Impact on Fans and Atmosphere

Alcaraz also lamented the effect late finishes have on attendance and viewership. "It's a shame a match like this didn’t reach many people because they have to go to bed and work in the morning," he said. "If it had started at 7 or 8 p.m., finishing by 11, the stadium would have been full. Many missed out because of the timing."