The US Open has no plans to change its scheduling to stop matches from ending within the early hours.
Andy Murray branded late-night tennis a “farce” after his second-round match in opposition to Thanasi Kokkinakis, at this yr’s Australian Open, didn’t start till after 10pm and completed at 4.05am.
Some gamers additionally complained in regards to the late finishes on the French Open and, whereas Wimbledon’s 11pm curfew prevents such points, there have been nonetheless quite a few matches which needed to be carried over to the next day.
At Flushing Meadows final yr, eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz accomplished a five-set win over Jannik Sinner at 2.50am, the latest-ever end on the occasion.
The US Open, which begins every week on Monday, holds an evening session which includes two matches and which this yr will nonetheless start at its conventional time of 7pm, regardless of calls to start out earlier.
Match director Stacey Allaster stated: “With out query late-night matches had been closely mentioned and reviewed after the 2022 US Open.
“We checked out beginning the night session earlier, as a substitute of 7pm begin at 6pm, however it’s not likely a chance as a result of it is arduous for New Yorkers to get right here even at 7pm.
The US Open have a good time 50 years of turning into the primary of the Grand Slam tournaments to supply equal prize cash to males’s and ladies’s rivals
“We talked about one match at night time, however we felt that is not truthful to our followers. One of many realities we’ve in tennis is that we’re not outlined by a begin and an finish time. We are able to have a brief match or we will have a five-hour match.
“For the time being we’re staying the course with two night time matches. We are going to proceed to guage it. One factor we do know, there may be nothing like an evening match on Arthur Ashe.”
Women and men to make use of identical ball at Flushing Meadows
Women and men will use the identical tennis ball this yr on the US Open, satisfying some girls who complained final yr they had been hitting an inferior product .
High-ranked Iga Swiatek – who ultimately gained the match – was among the many girls who felt their lighter ball did not maintain its energy so long as the one which was utilized by males. The US Open had been the one one of many 4 Grand Slam tournaments that used a special ball for women and men.
Iga Swiatek was vital of the balls used throughout final yr’s match
Allaster stated that the kind of ball getting used was fully as much as the gamers and their tour. The request to alter was made and will probably be applied at this yr’s match on a trial foundation.
Different adjustments being applied embrace using tablets by coaches sitting of their packing containers, and gamers’ challenges to evaluate conditions reminiscent of a ball they consider bounced twice.
When is the US Open reside on Sky Sports activities?
The US Open returns to Sky Sports activities on Monday August 28 with the promise to present followers reside protection of the Grand Slam like by no means earlier than.
Sky Sports activities has entry to all particular person court docket feeds and can broadcast a minimal of 135 hours of competitors all through the two-week Grand Slam match.
Sky Sports activities subscribers on Sky Glass, Sky Stream, Sky Q, and the Sky Sports activities app will be capable of watch all courts for the primary time on Sky Sports activities.
Throughout Sky Sports activities’ linear channels and on Sky Sports activities digital and social channels, tennis followers can get pleasure from intensive protection, together with each the boys’s and ladies’s tournaments, alongside respective doubles, blended doubles, juniors, and wheelchair competitions.
Watch the US Open – reside on Sky Sports activities – from Monday, August 28. Stream the US Open and extra with NOW for £26 a month for 12 months