Why Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev & other stars being made to play late-night is not good for tennis or the fans
Late-night finishes have become quite the norm at Grand Slams these days. Since the French Open authority decided to install a retractable roof in 2020, which allows matches to be played at night, a number of encounters at Roland Garros have gone on into the early hours of morning.
Novak Djokovic’s match against Lorenzo Musetti continued till 3 A.M. local time, which is quite an unusual time to be playing any sport. Similarly, Alexander Zverev's fourth-round win against Holger Rune came at 1:40 A.M. local time.
The same has been the trend at Wimbledon, too, as the decision to install a roof has been implemented there as well.
The other two Grand Slams, the Australian Open and the US Open have been notorious for late-night finishes for quite some time now. The trend is not healthy at all, as a number of tennis players have testified.
Late-night finishes hardly healthy for aging stars like Djokovic
Novak Djokovic himself has played the threat down, perhaps somewhat diplomatically. In a recent interview, Djokovic said,
"I don't want to be talking about schedule. I think some things could've been handled differently. But there's beauty, as well, winning the match at 3:30 A.M. if it's the last one of the tournament.
But it's not so I'm going to have to switch on all of my young genes and try and recover as quickly as possible."
However, a number of other players have not been as welcoming in this regard. Coco Gauff, the former US Open champion, said,
"I definitely think it's not healthy. It may be not fair for those who have to play late because it does ruin your schedule. I've been lucky I haven't been put in a super late finish yet."
It seems quite logical that playing too late into the night cannot be beneficial for a player’s long-term health. It is more so in the case of a 37-year-old like Djokovic, who will not be playing tennis for much longer, but might be left to pay for it after retiring from the sport.
Scheduling needs to be better at Grand Slams
With the roof available over the centre-court, there has been a tendency to squeeze in a few matches in case of a rain-delay to accommodate draws on other courts the following day.
As most of the courts at a Major do not have the facility of having a roof over it, there is a tendency to prolong the session at the centre court. As a top player, someone like Djokovic almost always plays at the centre-court, which also forces him to often play late into the night.
However, if one compares the scenario to any other sport, one finds that most athletes usually do not have to play at such odd hours. There is hardly a football match that has stretched beyond 10:30 P.M. local time, nor has a basketball match.
Thus, the ATP and WTA need to look into the issue and make sure that this does not end up becoming a nuisance and prove detrimental to the sport. The roof over the centre-court at any venue should ideally be there to help out further rather than make things more complicated for the players.