Tennis’ glittering trophies and record-breaking prize money often hide a disturbing reality: scheduling issues! Although the US Open embraced the policy of moving late-night matches to different courts, players like Alexander Zverev, who finished his third-round match at 2.35 am, failed to benefit from it. Even Aryna Sabalenka‘s late-night third-round match in New York hinted at the same persistent problem. And now sharing his candid reflections on the sports’ scheduling woes, Andy Roddick has presented his own point of view.

During the latest episode of his podcast ‘Served’ on September 17, the US Open Tournament Director, Stacey Allaster, and Roddick delved into the scheduling issues and the night sessions of the tournament. While Allaster talked about the reasons why the organizers refrain from making late scheduling changes, Roddick intervened and recalled his own stressful yet memorable US Open experiences, citing his 40+ night sessions that compressed his recovery time. 

“I’m losing half a day recovery a minimum,” he said while adding how a grueling schedule often leads to back-to-back matches, making it difficult for the players to recuperate. Furthermore, Roddick revealed players’ dilemma of having to choose between money and a strenuous schedule. He even took the opinion of his podcast team. Mike (producer) and Sean (Technical member), both opted to have “more money” when asked about it by Roddick. 

The American legend then explained, “I think us players are really dumb about that we shouldn’t be allowed to do, is we can’t complain about…. what TV needs. They are the biggest source of revenue that we have in sports, right? Just clear done.” He admitted that the lucrative TV deals outweigh players’ inconvenience. And there isn’t a lot that can be done about it. The players should understand that as well.

While Andy Roddick highlighted the harsh reality that plays into action behind the scheduling issues, some players have consistently shared their disapproval of the intense competitive pressure of playing consecutive matches on back-to-back days. Novak Djokovic, who played grueling night matches in the US Open complained about running “out of gas,” as he eventually failed to go past the third round. His comment made headlines in the tennis world and rightly so. Earlier this season, we saw Djokovic’s late-night finish (at around 3.07 am) in the French Open which raised questions about the scheduling issues as well. 

Moreover, in the US Open 2022, we saw Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s QF match that continued for about five hours, ending at 2.50 am!

While Andy Roddick understands the reasons behind the scheduling woes and admits that TV is the biggest source of revenue, he has previously advocated from players’ point of view as well and has admitted that hectic scheduling does take its toll.

Andy Roddick on the “crazy” schedules of tennis

After the Olympics, quite a few players addressed the persistent scheduling issues. “I don’t think our sport is going in the right direction,” said Iga Swiatek, who withdrew from the Korea Open to recover after the US Open. Carlos Alcaraz also pointed out the “tight” schedule as one of the reasons for a slump in his performance in New York. Andy Roddick echoed a similar sentiment, citing how a tight schedule is getting serious day by day.

“The Olympic hangover was real and at some point in tennis… I don’t know who’s responsible for it. Maybe we all are and it’s just plausible deniability if we can get away with it. But, the schedule in tennis has to give. We keep adding and nothing gets taken away. Something has to give. It just drives me crazy,” Roddick said.

Earlier this year, Roddick even pointed out how playing back-to-back matches can prevent players from focusing on their fitness and well-being, leading them to endure injuries during tournaments. Scheduling issues are nothing new in tennis, but players are now coming forward to address the issue. And hopefully, soon, the organizers will come up with a potential solution!