Carlos Alcaraz has urged tennis authorities to address late-night Grand Slam matches, saying play should ideally end by 11:00 p.m. after his US Open title defense ended at 3:33 a.m. against Ben Shelton.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion made the comments Thursday in London ahead of the Laver Cup, where he will represent Team Europe.
Alcaraz's US Open campaign ended when Shelton beat him in a four-hour, 28-minute quarterfinal that became the tournament's latest finish. The match ended at 3:33 a.m. local time.
Three other matches at the tournament finished after 2 a.m., while two more went beyond midnight. Venus Williams was involved in the latest-starting match, which began at 12:13 a.m.
"I think it's too much," Alcaraz said. "I would like to change the schedule a little with a maximum finish at 11:00 p.m., or whatever would be better."
Alcaraz said earlier scheduling would also help fans attend and stay for major matches.
"If that match was played earlier, the court could have been packed," he said.
Wimbledon already has an 11:00 p.m. local curfew, while the French Open limits its night sessions to one match. The U.S. Open has no fixed cutoff, although its organizers have said the...