Fatigued page: US Open is getting longer, leaves players with burnout scare

BRIAN MAHONEY

The US Open was a week old by the time Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz opened their title defences. What once was a two-week quest for a Grand Slam championship now extends into a third week, and US Tennis Association CEO Craig Tiley was asked how he hoped to continue that growth.

"Four weeks," he said with a smile.

Some players might fear he is serious. They were already becoming wary of an overcrowded schedule that makes it hard to find breaks, even before the US Open moved up the beginning of the singles main draw last year to make it a Sunday start.

"I just hope they will not start on Saturday at some point, you know? And then on Friday and on Thursday, Tuesday, Wednesday," said Marta Kostyuk, the No 11 seed from Ukraine. "So I hope this is it."

Kostyuk was one of the winners Sunday, and those players get the benefit of two days off before their next matches. Sabalenka and Alcaraz started Monday, the former opening day, while top-seeded Alexander Zverev and 2023 champion Coco Gauff were scheduled Tuesday on the final day of a first round that until last year was completed over two days.

"So they are finding ways to extend the tournaments, which I think is tough for the players," said Canadian Denis Shapovalov.

Leylah Fernandez, the 2021 runner-up in Flushing Meadows, said she would enjoy the extra day off after her victory Sunday to spend time with her sister, who is in New York with her.

But Shapovalov, a 2021 Wimbledon semi-finalist, argued that an extra day between matches does not mean more time off.

"We are still going to have to come back tomorrow, practise the next two days. You are still in that match environment, tournament environment where I am locked in, and I am not doing things that I would be doing when I am off. You know, having a brownie."

The expansion to a three-week event was set last year when, alongside starting singles play on Sunday, the USTA shifted the mixed doubles tournament to a two-day event on the Tuesday and Wednesday preceding it.

Another day was added to that this year with a qualifying tournament held Monday for the final two spots in the 16-team field. With more real matches beyond the singles qualifying tournaments that take place the week before, and admission to the grounds free, there were huge crowds for what the USTA calls "fan week", and organisers clearly want more.

"This will become the tennis Disneyland," Tiley said. He stressed that does not necessarily mean extending the length of the tournament, but finding more types of events to do during it.

But extending events is exactly what tennis seems to be doing these days. It is perhaps felt more at the Masters 1000 level, just below Grand Slams. Those have swelled to 10 days, so long that players have trouble keeping track of time.