It has been a talking point in tennis throughout 2023 and now Alexander Zverev has become the latest player to lash out at the tennis chief over the match schedule.
Zverev beat Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-7 (4) 6-2 6-1 in Beijing to advance to the round of 16 of the China Open, but his match did not start until after midnight.
The match ended at 2:40 a.m. local time, and Zverev was quick to criticize the officials after the match.
“Obviously it’s difficult to play until 3 a.m. I’m not sure it’s the right decision to keep us on this ground,” he said.
“I think we should have changed grounds. We should have continued. There are so many great courts in the stadium. So many opportunities where we could have played.
“I’m not sure we should have waited until after midnight to start the game, to be honest.”
Zverev has previously commented on the issue of late starts, as he criticized organizers of the Madrid Open last year after his semi-final match ended late and meant he went to bed at 4am.
He then lost heavily to Carlos Alcaraz in a final which opened a few hours later and delivered this damning verdict.
“The work of the ATP has been an absolute disgrace this week,” Zverev said. “Playing a final against Carlos Alcaraz, who for me is currently the best player in the world, in a Masters 1000… it’s difficult.
“I had no coordination. I had no coordination on my serve, I had no coordination on my groundstrokes. I missed two overs which were super easy because I see the ball and everything moves in my eyes.
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The problem of late arrivals to matches has been a theme throughout 2023, with tournament organizers appearing keen to keep the action going for as long as possible.
Matches could be moved to smaller grounds to ensure they are played at a reasonable time, but officials are keen to ensure the best players compete on grounds with full television coverage.
This led to a succession of matches being played well past midnight, with Andy Murray’s match against Thanasi Kokkinakis at the Australian Open in January sparking debate on the subject.
Murray fought for almost five hours to upset Matteo Berrettini in his first round match in Australia and at five hours and 45 minutes his victory over Kokkinakis was the longest match of Murray’s entire career, the second longest in tournament history and third last result. at a tennis match.
“I don’t know who benefits from this,” Murray said after the Kokkinakis match.
“We come here after the match and that’s what the discussion is about, rather than it being like an ‘epic Murray-Kokkinakis match’. It ends up being a bit of a farce.
“Surprisingly, people stayed until the end, and I really appreciate them doing that and creating an atmosphere for us.” Some people obviously have to work the next day and everything.
“But if my kid was a ball kid at a tournament and he comes home at five in the morning, as a parent I’m reluctant to do that. It is not beneficial for them. It is not beneficial for the referees, the officials. I don’t think it’s unbelievable for the fans. This is not good for the players.
“We talk about it all the time, and we’ve been talking about it for years. But when you start games late and you have conditions like that, these things are going to happen.
There have also been problems on the WTA Tour, with Elena Rybakina among those questioning why she was sent to play tennis matches that ended well after midnight.
This is clearly an issue that needs to be addressed by tennis executives, but there does not appear to be much willingness to respond to the players’ call for change.
