Novak Djokovic remains resigned to late-night sessions which continue into the wee hours as corporate tennis follows the dollars.
The ATP No. 2, who won his opener at the Cincinnati Masters when opponent Alejandro Davidovich Fokina retired injured after 42 minutes, has few solutions to the increasing number of post-midnight finishes.
“Tournaments are looking to get more profit by selling day-session and
night-session tickets. Earlier in my career it wasn’t the case. It was more of one whole session.”
The 23-time Grand Slam winner said that the dead time on court between day and night tickets combined with consistently late endings can be a problem.
“It’s a bit challenging for players. I think one of the main reasons why we have late-night finishes is because there is a gap now between day and night sessions.”
With the hard-core US Open approaching.,the after-dark scenario is unlikely to improve.
“US Open night sessions are probably the most famous night sessions in our sport.
“I understand that if you have consistent late-night finishes and continuously find yourself in that situation that it’s not good.
“It’s hard to wait the entire day. If you wake up earlier, then it’s quite a lot of hours to kill before getting out on the court.
Main photo:- Novak Djokovic in a night match in Melbourne by Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd