“It’s Too Much”- Carlos Alcaraz Demands Change After US Open Controversy

The US Open has a serious scheduling problem. Venus Williams’ first-round match finished around 2 AM, while Carlos Alcaraz’s quarterfinal against Ben Shelton stretched until 3:33 AM. Alcaraz wants that to change. He believes the tournament needs a firm cutoff so players are not competing deep into the night and fans are not forced to leave before matches end.

“I think it’s too much,” he told the BBC. “The last match people stayed, but if that match was played earlier, the court could have been packed. I would like to change the schedule a little, with a maximum finish at 11pm or whatever would be better.”

Alcaraz has reason to be frustrated. His quarterfinal against Shelton ended at 3:33 AM, the latest finish in US Open history. It surpassed the previous record from 2022, when Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner played until 2:50 AM.

“For an athlete finishing at 3:30 in the morning, it means we had to leave the courts at 4:30, then back to the hotel,” he said, according to Front Office Sports. “You don’t go to bed until 6:30 or 7 in the morning. To recover for the next match, the person you play has an advantage.”

The issue also affects fans, who are often left choosing between staying until the end or leaving early to get home at a reasonable hour. For players, the bigger concern is recovery, especially after long matches that already take a physical toll.

That was particularly relevant for Alcaraz, who was playing his first tournament since April. His run eventually ended against Shelton, who won 6-7, 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6.

Alcaraz now shifts his focus to the Laver Cup, where he will represent Team Europe alongside Alexander Zverev, Casper Ruud, Rafael Jodar, Jakub Mensik and Flavio Cobolli. Yannick Noah will captain the side, with Tim Henman serving as vice-captain. Arthur Fery is the alternate.

Team World features Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur, Alexander Bublik, Brandon Nakashima, Learner Tien and Francisco Cerundolo. Andre Agassi is the captain, Pat Rafter is the vice-captain, and Ignacio Buse is the alternate.

The Laver Cup runs from September 25 to 27 at the O2 Arena in London. Alcaraz will open his campaign in doubles on Day 1.

The Laver Cup’s Day 1 lineup includes multiple interesting matches

The tournament will be kicked off with the clash between Casper Ruud and Francisco Cerundolo. This is a repeat of the Laver Cup 2024 opener in Berlin. Cerundolo had clinched that match 6-4, 6-4, handing Ruud his first singles loss in the Laver Cup. The Argentine also leads the H2H record 5-4.

The second clash will see Jakub Mensik take on Brandon Nakashima. This will only be the second time that the two will play in a tour-level match. Their previous meeting saw Nakashima triumph 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 in the Round of 16 at Washington.

The night session’s first match will see Rafael Jodar lock horns with Alexander Bublik. The two have never faced each other in a tour-level match before, so no one really knows what to expect. Both players are participating in the Laver Cup for the first time, so it will be interesting to see which one of them will give their side the advantage in the tie.

The first day will come to an end with a blockbuster doubles clash. The pair of Mensik and Alcaraz will take on Fritz and Bublik. This is the second year running that Mensik and Alcaraz will be teaming up at the Laver Cup. They did so last year as well and defeated Alex de Minaur and Alex Michelsen 7-6, 6-4. It remains to be seen whether they will be able to win for the second year in a row.

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