American No. 1 Coco Gauff believes that late finishes in a tournament can
ruin a Grand Slam run for players, although she acknowledged that it hasn’t
happened to her. According to the world No. 3, it’s much more likely that men
will suffer from a late finish since they play best-of-five sets.
The US Open has had several late finishes in recent years.
Particularly memorable was the quarterfinal match between Carlos Alcaraz and
Jannik Sinner in 2022, which lasted over five hours and concluded at 2:50 a.m.,
the latest finish in the tournament’s history.
Gauff reflects on US Open’s new approach to late matches
As one of the top figures in tennis today, Coco Gauff is
usually featured in the night sessions of Slams. This time, as the defending
champion and home favorite, she will debut at Arthur Ashe Stadium, and it’s
likely that as she progresses through the rounds, she’ll remain on the same
court and continue to be part of the night sessions.
So far, the American No. 1 hasn’t had to play until very
late in her night sessions: “Yeah, so I’ve never actually had a super late
finish just because I’ve just been lucky that either the match will go super
fast or anything like that.”
“But obviously I do think that finishing late can really
ruin your tournament, especially, like, on the guys’ side when they, you know,
if they go on at, like, 11:00 or 12:00, you know, max maybe the longest a
women’s match will go two hours or three hours, but men’s can go, like, five.”
Coco Gauff at 2023 US Open
The US Open will not have a curfew during the competition
(as Wimbledon does, for example). However, the rules for the schedule will be
more flexible. The night session at Arthur Ashe will start at 7:00 p.m. local
time, and the USTA announced that if the last matches aren’t underway before
11:15 p.m., the umpire will have greater discretion to decide whether to
transfer them to different courts as long as possible.
“I think for me, I think I heard the US Open this year if
you’re going to start after 11:00 they’re going to move your court. I think
that’s a good initiative to start. You may win that match that day, but your
sleep schedule and everything is completely messed up for the rest of the
tournament. So it does put that person at a disadvantage,” Gauff reasoned.
“So I think right now with that new policy, I think that’s
the best way to address it. I mean, we won’t know until we test a lot of
things, but I think this is a good start,” Gauff added.
Read also
Gauff will debut on Tuesday against Varvara Gracheva and
acknowledged that this time, despite being the defending champion, she doesn’t
feel very different from last year: “I feel like I was in a crazy position last
year where there was a lot surrounding me, like, before this, even before I was
a Grand Slam champion,” she said. “So, you know, I had basically the same busy
pre-week this week as I had last year pre-week of the US Open.”
“I think that’s where it was a little bit easier coming into
all of this as a Grand Slam champion because of, like, the gradual rise I’ve
had in this sport when it came to the amount of attention I was getting,” the
20-year-old player said. “Honestly, this week hasn’t been much different, other
than people saying I’m the defending champion, but other than that, I feel like
it’s been the same amount of attention and same amount of sponsor commitments
and all that.”
Cristhián AvilaTennis Journalist
Cristhián Ávila is a tennis journalist based in Santiago, Chile, and has been part of the TennisUpToDate team since early 2023. He covers the ATP and WTA Tours as well as all four Grand Slams, producing breaking news, match reports, analysis, and regular liveblogs from major tournaments.
His reporting combines statistical analysis with clear explanation, helping readers understand tactical developments, player form, and broader storylines across the tour. Working fluently in both Spanish and English, Cristhián collaborates with an international editorial team and contributes to comprehensive global coverage. As part of his work, he has conducted interviews and media interactions with leading figures in the sport, including Caroline Wozniacki and John McEnroe.
In his journalism, Cristhián places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. His coverage is grounded in research, context, and direct engagement with professional tennis.
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