Simply Dumb”- Tennis Insider Slams US Open Over Novak Djokovic-Venus Williams Scheduling Blunder — Yahoo Sports

RESOLVING THE LEDGER

August 27, 2025, Flushing Meadows, New York, USA: Novak Djokovic during a match against Zachary Svajda on Day 4 of the 2025 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Wednesday August 27, 2025 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. JAVIER ROJAS/PI Flushing Meadows USA – ZUMAp124 20250827_zaa_p124_048 Copyright: xJavierxRojasx ©IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire

Scheduling of tennis matches, especially at Grand Slams, has been a contentious issue in the sport, once again coming into the spotlight during Novak Djokovic ‘s opening-round match at the US Open , which has pushed back Venus Williams ‘ first-round match as well. Starting the night session matches at 7 p.m. has led an established tennis insider to fault the US Open’s scheduling tactics.

“9:31pm and still at least two more sets to go in this match. This is not the last match of the day on Ashe,” said Jose Morgado on X . “Scheduling a best of five at 7pm (never starts at 7pm) before a best of 3 is simply dumb.”

The match between Novak Djokovic and Mariano Navone might have looked like a straightforward match for the Serb on paper, but the Argentine has really risen up to the challenge, taking the fight to the four-time US Open champion and winning the first set tiebreaker after being 3-0 down. The Serb won the second set 7-5, but the match clock was already over two hours. As it stands, the third set is on serve, with the match already nearing the three-hour mark, and the local time is past 10 p.m.

Given the current trajectory of the match, it might well finish past 11, or even near midnight, should it be a five-set marathon. This pushes the All-American clash between Venus Williams and Sofia Kenin late into the night, with two fan favorites likely playing in front of a half-empty stadium.

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Williams is a two-time champion and a legend of the sport, and Kenin is a Grand Slam champion herself; and a match between the two has the required star power to draw a large crowd. But given the timing, the general public, especially families with children, will prioritize returning home rather than staying on Arthur Ashe, potentially till midnight.

This is not the first time that Morgado has drawn attention to the scheduling of the matches, as the tennis insider had called out USTA chief Craig Tiley for the problematic scheduling. Late-night matches were notorious under Tiley’s reign at the Australian Open, with the Melbourne Major often putting women’s matches second on the night, even those featuring Aryna Sabalenka, pushing those contests into so-called graveyard time slots.

Morgado was not alone, as another prominent tennis insider, Ben Rothenberg, also agreed with his views. “A night session should never put a best-of-five match before a best-of-three match,” said Rothenberg on X.

Putting women’s matches in the night session has always been a sensitive issue in tennis, given the French Open’s unwillingness to put even top-ranked WTA players in the night until this year, when Naomi Osaka and Sabalenka broke the tradition on Philippe Chatrier.

As far as the US Open is concerned, a similar situation could occur on Day 2 as well. The night session is slated for a usual 7 p.m. start with Ben Shelton taking on Tallon Griekspoor. Should the match go long, the next match featuring Naomi Osaka and Anastasia Zakharova might have the same fate as the Williams match on Day 1. Even though Shelton is the home favorite and a big title contender at Flushing Meadows this year, one could argue that Osaka, being a two-time champion, had more of a claim for the coveted primetime slot of 7 p.m.