The Professional Tennis Players Association, which is backed by Novak Djokovic, has been on a mission to help tennis players by bringing up their issues in the mainstream. One such issue detected by them recently is the increase in the number of late-night matches and its impact on the players. As per a study by PTPA, the increase in the number of injuries is directly proportional to the increase in the duration of the matches late at night.
The report of this study was also shared by the leading sports broadcaster ESPN on their website, which can play a huge role in making it even more popular. The data used in the study was collected from the Grand Slam events that took place between April 2018 and May 2024. It showed that the number of night matches only increased, causing the injury rate of players to also hike from 4.6% to 5.2%.
The third-round clash played by Aryna Sabalenka at the 2024 US Open against Ekaterina Alexandrova had the latest start ever as it began at 12:08 am. After that, the Round of 16 clash between Qinwen Zheng and Donna Vekic ended at 2:15 am, which is so far the latest-ever finish in tennis.
Thus, this suggests that the matches are getting delayed with the passing of time, which according to PTPA medical director Dr. Robby Sikka, makes a player 25% more likely to be prone to injury.
From time to time, players have also raised their concerns over late-night matches and how they affect them and their performances. The co-founder of the PTPA and 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic is also one of them as during his first-round US Open clash, he said:
“I don’t think that aging helps really staying so late and playing very late. I can feel, you know, my batteries are low now. I’m shutting down.”
Interestingly, the ATP has refused to respond to ESPN on the report, which could hint at there being some truth to these claims.
Djokovic had also expressed his anguish at the French Open organisers, blaming them for his quarter-final walkover at the tournament in 2024, when he had a late-night finish around 3 AM in a 5-set match before that.
Earlier, in January 2024, ATP and WTA had come up with new rules to limit the number of late-night matches, as a response to athletes’ complaints. The two associations announced that they were reducing the number of matches on a court to five and not letting a match continue on a court post 11 pm unless approved by the supervisor.
At the same time, the latest start time of a night session match was fixed at 7:30 pm. However, not much improvement was seen despite these rules getting implemented this season on a trial basis.
But now, with ESPN sharing the report on their website, it is expected to take the tennis world by storm. Thus, the popularity can really help the athletes in pressuring the ATP to take some action against this growing problem.
The PTPA’s aim is to give players a fair hearing and fight for their rights, which is in direct conflict with the role of the ATP Players’ Council. Djokovic and co. are not backing down anytime soon and has already made an impact with the pressure it has put on ATP, courtesy the governing body’s Baseline pay structure which was launched in 2023.
So even if the ATP might not be bothered about accusations of being biased towards Djokovic till date, the fact that he is challenging their authority without being afraid of his stardom or consequences of doing the same, could mean that tennis is at a sensitive place at the moment.
