WTA, ATP to restrict number of evening matches to curb late night finishes

The Australian Open will switch to a Sunday start and be held over 15 days instead of 14 for the first time this year in a bid to avoid late finishes, organisers said in October.

In 2022, Germany’s Alexander Zverev (L) beat USA’s Jenson Brooksby (R) in a match at the ATP500 event in Acapulco, Mexico, with the tie concluding at 4:54 am local time, the latest-ever finish to a professional tennis match. | Photo Credit: AFP

BENGALURU

The WTA and ATP have jointly announced on Tuesday new scheduling regulations that restrict evening matches to two per court and per day, with a recommended start time of 1830 local time to curb matches from concluding in the early morning hours.

The Australian Open will switch to a Sunday start and be held over 15 days instead of 14 for the first time this year in a bid to avoid late finishes, organisers said in October.

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There will be no more than five matches per day per court, with three matches during the day session and two matches during the evening session, the organising bodies said.

“No matches (will) go on court after 11 p.m., unless approved by the WTA/ATP supervisor in consultation with WTA/ATP management,” the statement added.

The matches that do not commence by 2230 local time will be moved to an alternative court by no later than 2300 local time, with the night sessions to begin no later than 1930 local time.

The WTA and ATP events will enforce new regulations from January.

The two bodies also announced a strategic review of tennis balls with the aim of eliminating potential inconsistencies of balls used week-on-week by introducing “tighter certification and specification requirements for an enhanced end-product”.