Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff have highlighted the need for earlier match start times at Grand Slam tournaments after defending champion Novak Djokovic endured a marathon third-round match that ended in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The late finish came after rain delays forced organizers to squeeze another match into Saturday’s already packed schedule. Djokovic ultimately outlasted Lorenzo Musetti in a thrilling contest, concluding at just past 3 a.m., marking the latest finish ever at Roland Garros.
Swiatek, who cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Anastasia Potapova in just 40 minutes on Sunday afternoon, expressed that such late finishes are not ideal for players or fans. “It’s not easy to play, and it’s not like we’re going to fall asleep one hour after the match,” Swiatek remarked to reporters. “It usually takes us four hours to even chill, and you need to do recovery, media. It’s not like the work ends when the match point is won.”
Swiatek emphasized the importance of starting matches earlier. “I was always one of the players that said that we should start a little bit earlier. Also, I don’t know if the fans are watching these matches if they have to go to work the next day or something when the matches are finishing at 2 or 3 a.m.”
Coco Gauff, a former Roland Garros runner-up, echoed Swiatek’s sentiments, noting the potential unfairness of late matches for players. “Because it does ruin your schedule. I’ve been lucky, I haven’t been put in a super late finish yet,” said Gauff, who defeated Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-1, 6-2 in an hour.
This year, the WTA and ATP Tours jointly announced limitations on the number of matches scheduled in an evening session, banning contests starting after 11 p.m. to protect player welfare. Gauff suggested that Grand Slams could adopt similar measures. “Maybe if a match is going long, possibly moving courts,” Gauff added. “I know it’s tough because, especially here, it’s only one night match, and people paid for those tickets. It’s a complicated thing, but I think for the health and safety of the players, it would be in the sport’s best interest to try to avoid those matches finishing—or starting—after a certain time. Obviously, you can’t control when they finish.”
Scheduling issues are common at the Australian Open, French Open, and U.S. Open, where tickets are sold separately for day and evening sessions. Wimbledon, however, has a curfew, requiring matches to finish by 11 p.m. local time. Reigning Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz expressed his preference for day matches. “I don’t like night sessions, but not for the crowd. I think that the crowd in night sessions is special, but we end so late, press conference, physio, ice bath,” Alcaraz said after defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-3, 6-1. “You know, the night session is a real thing, so we can’t change it. We have to adapt ourselves as much as … we can to the matches.”
