There is a riot brewing in world tennis. Świątek has already sounded the alarm about it

The topic of playing tennis matches too late returns to the public sphere from time to time. This problem was pointed out by, among others, Iga Świątek (1. WTA). – We should focus more on what is beneficial to the health of tennis players, because we have to compete every week. In Rome and Madrid, I played four matches that ended close to midnight or after it. It’s not like we finish the match and go to sleep after two hours – said Świątek on the occasion of the tournament in Cincinnati.

In September this year, the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) published a report showing that the number of matches played after 7:00 p.m. at Grand Slam tournaments has almost tripled from April 2018 to May 2024. “In 2018, they accounted for 6.6 percent of the total, in 2023 it was 11.7 percent, and in 2024 – after taking into account the US Open – it is expected to be as much as 15.5 percent,” we wrote on Sport.pl. During matches from evening sessions, the risk of injury is 25 percent higher than during the day.

Will There Be a Rebellion in Tennis? “Nobody Likes It”

As you might imagine, the fact that matches are played at such late hours does not please the players. – It is clear that there has to be a change. I have not heard anyone agree with this. Maybe tennis would look much more professional if we did not finish work at 3-4 in the morning – said the Briton Andy Murray. – After late matches, it is impossible to go to bed before 5 in the morning. There are talks with the media, you have to undergo treatments, take a shower, eat something. It is an unhealthy trend. It disrupts the schedule of tennis players if they play late – adds the American Coco Gauff (3rd WTA).

There is a curfew at Wimbledon, which means that matches must end by 11:00 p.m. local time. “If you start a match at 8:00 p.m., you know that you won’t play it in full that day. There is no way to abolish it, but it would make sense to move the start of the match day to a slightly earlier hour,” commented Serb Novak Djokovic (2nd ATP) after last year’s Wimbledon. “Sportsmen are increasingly finishing their matches at Grand Slam tournaments at dawn. And no one likes it,” writes the portal sovsport.ru.

It is worth adding that the ATP and WTA have unanimously decided that from January this year, a maximum of five games per day can be played on one court. Matches cannot start after 11:00 p.m., except when the tournament supervisor gives permission. Evening sessions cannot start after 7:30 p.m., while the recommended start time is 6:30 p.m. However, these rules do not apply to Grand Slam tournaments. 

Sovsport.ru calculates that in 1999, the average length of a men’s Grand Slam match was two hours and 21 minutes. Last year, matches lasted an average of 33 minutes longer, a total increase of 23.4 percent. In 2008, the women’s average was one hour and 35 minutes, and last year the average increased by an additional 10 minutes. Sovsport.ru adds that such situations could soon end in a riot among male and female tennis players.