The world’s leading players are becoming increasingly militant over late-night scheduling, with French Open finalist Casper Ruud describing a 2:37am finish at the Paris Masters “a joke”.
The issue has been worsening for several years, with average match times lengthening every season. Ruud’s comment related to Jannik Sinner, the ATP’s form player after titles in Beijing and Vienna.
The winner of a late-night epic against Mackenzie McDonald on Wednesday, Sinner was scheduled as the fourth match for Thursday, which would have started at around 5pm local time. He did not return to the court, however, and withdrew from the tournament citing fatigue.
Ruud’s dismissive message on social media read: “Bravo @atptour way to help one of the best players in the world recover and be as ready as possible when he finished his previous match at 2:37 am this morning 14,5 hours to recover .. what a joke.”
The previous night, Sinner’s renowned coach Darren Cahill had posted a photograph from the court with the caption: “2.45am. Happy for the Jannik win, but zero care for the players welfare with the Paris schedule.”
Sinner said: “I finished the match when it was almost three in the morning and didn’t go to bed until a few hours later. I had less than 12 hours to rest and prepare for the next game. I have to make the right decision for my health and my body. The weeks ahead with the ATP Finals at home and the Davis Cup will be very important.”
Wednesday marked the second night in a row when play in Paris finished after 2am. The organisers of the Paris Masters have been trying to squeeze six matches onto their main court each day, with a start time of 11am.
But ever-expanding durations for each contest have led to a rash of alarmingly late finishes, and not only in Paris. The most visible instance this season came in Melbourne in January, when Andy Murray defeated Thanasi Kokkinakis at 4.05am.
Experts have cited various explanations for the growth in match times, including slower balls and court surfaces. It is also the case there are fewer pushovers on the ATP Tour these days. Everyone is extremely fit and well-conditioned, making it harder to finish points quickly.
Growing pressure around the issue appears to have prompted some movement behind the scenes. Andrea Gaudenzi, chief executive of the Association of Tennis Professionals, circulated a note around the players on Thursday morning that promised a debate in Turin in a fortnight’s time.
Gaudenzi said the ATP board would prioritise solutions to late-night finishes, and also to the question of inconsistent balls.
Last week, the former French Open champion Stan Wawrinka pointed out his last four tournaments had each used a different ball, made by a different company. He completed his social media message with the caption: “Can’t believe in 2023 it’s still happening!”
Players say the constant adjustments required in changing balls and surfaces every week are liable to make them more injury-prone.
Sinner’s withdrawal in Paris gave Alex de Minaur automatic passage through to the quarter-finals, where he will face Andrey Rublev.
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