Google News Tommy Haas: I don't think anyone enjoys watching tennis at 1, 2 in the morning
by DZEVAD MESIC | VIEW 4145
Former world No 2 Tommy Haas believes tennis needs to work on getting rid of late match finishes. Due to TV rights, late finishes in tennis - even at the Grand Slam level events - have become common. At the US Open last year, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner finished their quarterfinal match at around 02:50 am.
This past January, Andy Murray and Thanasi Kokkinakis concluded their Australian Open thriller at around 4 am Melbourne time. "I don't think anyone of us enjoys watching tennis [at] 1, 2 in the morning and the players don't deserve that either because again in the Grand Slams, they have the opportunity to recover the next day but by the time they get off the court, it'll be 2 in the morning.
With the US Open sometimes, I can't keep my eyes open that late. It's 2 o'clock in the morning and they're still playing. They don't go to sleep 05:30 in the morning. So, even for their rhythm, it's very very tough," Haas said on the Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, per Sportskeeda.
Haas, Rennae Stubbs call for elimination of late match finishes
Stubbs, a former six-time Grand Slam champion in doubles, believes tennis fans are also suffering from late match finishes in tennis. "More importantly, it's the fans that are the ones that are suffering as well as the players because you know, sitting up to 2 in the morning and you have to go to work the next day.
I hope that tournaments take that on board and try to start their matches early," Stubbs said. At the Madrid Masters last year, Alexander Zverev had two late finishes en route to reaching the final. In the Madrid final, Zverev suffered a 6-3 6-1 loss to Carlos Alcaraz and afterward called for changes.
After the match, Zverev blamed his late finishes for the loss to Alcaraz as the German claimed that he just didn't feel well or right during the final.
