‘This is not sustainable’: US Open ending after 2am sparks backlash from players as Navratilova and Becker question late-night schedule

Matches at the 2026 US Open are increasingly spilling into the early hours of the morning. (pic credit: X/AP) The famous nighttime energy of the US Open is once again under scrutiny, but this time it’s not about whether New York can keep the party going. It’s about whether the players can do it.As the first week of the Grand Slam draws to a close, an increasing number of matches have stretched well past midnight, with three of the first six night matches ending after 2am (local time) and two others stretching past 1am. The unusually late finishes prompted four-time US Open singles champion Martina Navratilova, six-time Grand Slam winner Boris Becker and several players to question whether the schedule had gone too far.Navrátilová was among the most outspoken in her criticism, posting on X after the tournament saw three 2am finishes in its opening six days.“This is not sustainable…”: Navrátilová wrote while sharing statistics highlighting the late completion.Becker, the 1989 US Open champion, also reflected on Navratilova’s post about why female tennis players are asked to compete at such hours.“It’s easy to play tennis so late?? Already….tell me another sport like that?!?” wrote Becker.This problem has become particularly evident at a tournament where night tennis has long been part of its identity. Arthur Ashe Stadium under lights, packed stands and an energetic New York crowd are among the defining images of the US Open. But as matches increasingly spill into the wee hours of the morning, players and former champions are beginning to question where the line should be drawn.

‘Everybody wants to go to bed’

Alexander Zverev was in no mood for a lengthy discussion after his first-round match ended in the early hours of the morning. With empty seats visible around the court, the German top seed answered just two questions from reporters before making his feelings clear.“I think everyone is tired,” he said. “Everybody wants to go to bed.The problem became even more pronounced for Zverev as the tournament progressed. His first two matches ended in 1:55 and 2:15, making him the first top-seeded man to play back-to-back five-set matches and kick off an Open era major tournament that dates back to 1968.His experience underscored the physical cost of scheduling, especially when players have to recover from long matches and then prepare for the next round in a limited window.

Alexander Zverev of Germany (AP photo)

Pegula questions if it’s “the right thing to do”

Women’s third-ranked player Jessica Pegula acknowledged that tournament organizers have to balance several competing demands, including television schedules and match timings. But she questioned whether those considerations should come at the expense of players who have to compete late into the night.“I know they deal with a lot of different aspects in terms of broadcasting and television and making sure that certain games get played and they start at certain times for those reasons,” Pegula said.“But you have to ask yourself if it’s really right for players to finish at 2am, especially when it’s not – maybe I’m not watching TV. I’m sleeping. Some people stay but there’s a lot of people who need to go home.”Her comments reflect broader concerns about the sustainability of the current schedule. A late exit does not simply mean that the player leaves the court later. It can affect eating, recovery, sleep and preparation for the next day.Other Grand Slams have taken a different approach. Wimbledon has implemented a 11pm curfew, while the French Open will only schedule one match during its nighttime session.The US Open, meanwhile, traditionally includes the option of playing matches deep into the night. However, this year’s schedule has taken this tradition to the extreme.

Jessica Pegula of the United States (AP Photo)

Venus Williams has hit a historic late start

The problem was obvious from the opening night itself.Novak Djokovic’s first round match lasted four hours and 36 minutes on August 30. The length of that match pushed Venus Williams and Sofia Kenin onto the court at 12:13 p.m., the latest start to a match in US Open history.Much of the crowd stayed to watch what could have been the 46-year-old Williams’ final Grand Slam singles match. But the timing made the opportunity difficult for both players.“It’s not ideal,” Williams said. “I definitely would have preferred something else. It wasn’t great for either of us, so I think we both tried our best. I just don’t know of any other sport where you have to start that late. I definitely think there’s room for improvement.”The game finally ended at 2:01 a.m., adding another chapter to a tournament that had already seen an unusual number of post-midnight finishes.

Shelton experiences his first finish at 2am

Ben Shelton also dealt with the consequences of the schedule as his second-round match against Denis Shapovalov, which began on Friday night, ended at 2:07 on Saturday.The delay was partly caused by the Williams sisters’ doubles match, which lasted more than three hours.“It’s not easy,” Shelton said after defeating Shapovalov in 3 hours, 22 minutes. “This is the first time I’ve experienced playing this late.Shelton estimated he wouldn’t be asleep until around 5:00 a.m., stressing that a match that ends after 2:00 a.m. can effectively consume much of the following morning.Four of the last 17 finishes in US Open history have occurred this year. The tournament record remains 2:50 a.m., set in 2022 when Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals en route to his first US Open title.

Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus (AP photo)

Sabalenka warns of disrupted timetables

Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenková, who played the fourth-last women’s match in the history of the tournament two years ago, also experienced the domino effect of finishing after midnight.He is not a fan of such late starts and the disruption they can cause to athletes.“When you finish late, it shifts a lot the next day,” Sabalenka said. “Like, you still need hours of sleep, so start later. You might just mess up your schedule.”This is at the heart of the debate surrounding the night sessions of the US Open. The spectacle of late-night tennis can be a big draw for fans, broadcasters and the tournament itself. But for athletes, a game ending at 2 a.m. can have ramifications that go far beyond the finish point.Four of the last 17 finishes in the history of the tournament already come this year, so the question is no longer whether tennis nights in New York can continue well into the morning.The point is whether they should.For Navrátilová, the answer seems increasingly clear: “This is not sustainable…”.