Early Matches vs. Late-Night Struggles: Tennis Players Speak Up
PARIS — Just like many individuals in different professions, some tennis players dislike waking up early for work. However, Coco Gauff is not one of them; she is perfectly comfortable competing at any hour of the day. In fact, the 2023 U.S. Open champion prefers morning matches to what she describes as “the graveyard shift,” as Grand Slam tournaments often feature matches that last past midnight. Thus, during the French Open, Gauff likely didn’t mind being scheduled to face Australian Open champion Madison Keys at 11 a.m. local time (5 a.m. ET) in an all-American quarterfinal.
“I’m one of those players that doesn’t care,” shared Gauff, a 21-year-old from Florida and the No. 2 seed in Paris. “I can get up early. I’m not slow to wake up. Once I get some food in me, I’m pretty much good.”
A Day of Tennis at Grand Slam Tournaments
Tennis is an all-day affair during Grand Slam tournaments, where ticket sales and television contracts rake in millions and influence the decisions made by organizers. Tournaments like the French Open, U.S. Open, and Australian Open host night sessions that can stretch to 2 or 3 a.m., while Wimbledon has a strict curfew of 11 p.m. This means in Paris, matches may start as early as 11 a.m. or as late as 8:15 p.m. nuebe casino login, with occasional later starts, which can be frustrating for both athletes and fans hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite players.
Scheduling at Roland-Garros has become a heated topic, with discussions surrounding why the first match each day in the main stadium often involves women, leading to empty seats before most spectators have arrived, and why the coveted night session has been primarily reserved for men. The primetime slot, not offered to women since one match in 2023, often translates to additional visibility and attention, but it also means some players are pushed to stay up well past their usual bedtime.
Madison Keys on Night Matches
Madison Keys has had enough of the late-night match scene. “If I could never play at 1 a.m. ever again for the rest of my life, I would be so happy,” said Keys, the No. 7 seed and a 30-year-old hailing from Illinois and based in Florida, while laughing. “You know when you’re going to go on. There’s no chaos. You go to bed at a totally normal time. I feel like I’ve lived my night-owl life, and I would really love to be that first-on slot for the rest of time.”
Outside the initial morning and night matches, it becomes unpredictable for players to know when to warm up. Tennis, being an un-timed sport, leaves it uncertain when, say, the day’s third or fourth match in a particular arena will commence. Furthermore, as temperatures and weather fluctuate throughout the day, the clay conditions at the French Open can change as well.
Daily schedules are typically released late in the afternoon or evening prior, and even though players can request specific times, their requests don’t always get honored.
The Struggles of Waking Up Early
“That’s one thing that’s not good about tennis: We don’t know when we play until the day before,” said Holger Rune, the No. 10 men’s seed at the French Open, who reached the fourth round. “In team sports, they already know in December when they’ll play in May. It’s much easier to prepare. We tennis players also have to deal with changing conditions, countries, surfaces, and more.” Rune reminisced about his junior tournament days when 9 a.m phwin7. matches meant waking up at 6 a.m. “It’s a struggle,” he admitted.
Emma Navarro, an American who reached last year’s U.S. Open semifinals, is not a fan of late matches. “I’m super particular, I guess would be the word, about my sleep. I need to get my sleep in paternity sss. I try to get 10 hours a night. bizzo casino If it’s dark outside, I’m probably sleeping,” Navarro explained. “I’d prefer to play first-on rather than late-night. Around 8 or 9 p.m., I start shutting down.”
Many players have their preferences. Carlos Alcaraz, the 2024 men’s champion at Roland-Garros, favors daylight play, while Alexander Zverev, the 2024 runner-up, enjoys matches at night. Meanwhile, No. 8 seed Lorenzo Musetti from Italy, who faced No. 15 Frances Tiafoe from the U.S. in a quarterfinal that began just after 3:30 p.m., took a more flexible stance, saying, “Whatever time they give me, I’ll play.”
What are your thoughts on the scheduling of matches at major tennis tournaments?