Carlos Alcaraz proposes time limit for matches not to end in the morning

Carlos Alcaraz again put on the table one of the problems that currently faces the calendar of professional tennis: the matches that end in the morning.

The Spanish, who plays these days the Laver Cup in London, considered that a time limit should be established to prevent the matches from prolonging until high hours of the night and put forward 11:00 as a possible maximum time.

The proposal comes after his participation in the past US Open, where he reached the quarterfinals and lost to Ben Shelton in a match that ended at 3:33 a.m., the late final recorded in the history of the tournament.

Alcaraz questioned that the matches could extend to hours that hinder both the presence of the public and the recovery of the players.

“I think it’s too late to finish so late,” the Murcian replied in the mixed zone that the Laver Cup organized before the first day of the tournament on Friday.

The Spanish explained that even a match with a earlier start time could benefit fans who go to the grades.

“A lot of people stayed at our game, but if it had been played earlier, the track would have been full.”

For this reason, Alcaraz proposed to set a time limit for night matches.

“I would like to change this a little, with a limit to 11 to finish or something like that, I think it would be better.”

"I think it's too late to finish," Alcaraz, who disputes @LaverCup these days, says he would like to put a time limit on the matches. Shelton in New York ended at 3:33 in the morning, being the game that later ended in the history of the game.

For tennis players, ending a match during the morning means delaying all activities after the match.

Once a game is over, players still have to meet physical recovery processes and media attention before they can rest.

The situation can be even more complicated when the next appointment comes a few hours later.

Although ATP has implemented measures to try to reduce matches ending to excessively late hours, these episodes still appear in different circuit tournaments.

For Alcaraz, the issue is also part of a broader discussion about the calendar load.

In recent weeks, the Spanish has expressed his intention to reduce the number of tournaments he plays due to the high load of matches during the season.

The schedule has become even more demanding with the extension of some Masters 1000 to two weeks, a situation that has generated a greater amount of commitments for the main players of the circuit.

Alcaraz also knows the consequences of a demanding calendar after losing four months of competition this year for injury.

His proposal on the schedules is thus added to a debate involving both the organization of the tournaments as well as the rest conditions of the players and the experience of the fans.

One of the main examples of a maximum time in tennis is Wimbledon. The tournament in London has a touch of rest that prevents the matches from continuing beyond 11 a.m., a measure related to respect for the neighbors in the area.

The Wimbledon experience serves as a reference for the proposal raised by Alcaraz, who believes that setting a similar limit in other tournaments could prevent the matches from ending early in the morning.