“The night sessions here are best in the world,” said Novak Djokovic after his first-round battle in the US Open. Yet he later mentioned how finishing a match after midnight is “not really what you want,” as a player, irrespective of fans’ wishes. While the 37-year-old player cited his aging as one of the reasons for it, the 21-year-old Ben Shelton shared a different perspective on the subject, vocalizing an ounce of regret about the schedules of his matches.

Last year’s semifinalist at the US Open, Ben Shelton, couldn’t cruise past his compatriot, Frances Tiafoe, in the third round and ended the game with a five-set loss. However, disappointments surrounding the clash began way before the game when the US Open organizers snubbed the two American players’ match by favoring Djokovic to play a late night third round clash. This did not sit well with fans who voiced their thoughts on social media, and now it seems Shelton also shares a similar opinion. 

Initially, when quizzed about his feelings about his match against Big Foe, Shelton confessed how it did not feel like a “third round match,” during his post-match press conference video, released by the US Open Tennis Championships YouTube channel. Instead, he said, “It felt like one of those that you play in the two weeks. It should have been a night match. But it is what it is, but yeah, great atmosphere.” Later in the same interview, Ben Shelton, who played in the afternoon session as the second match of the day, was once again asked if he preferred a night match or a day one. 

After stating how either one is fine for him, Shelton continued to express his hidden desire by revealing, “I know that me and Foe both definitely wanted this to be a night match. We talked about it in the locker room either last night or this morning. Even if it was on Louis, we would have rather been in that night match slot. We played here at night 1 year ago. It feels right, you know, Friday night, Ben versus Foe.”

The former World No. 13 concluded by appreciating the “unbelievable atmosphere,” of the match and hoping for Tiafoe to experience a night match further in the game. However, Shelton is ” little butt-hurt,” for not being able to enjoy the special atmosphere of a night session and bring out his “night kit” for the event this year. For Djokovic, the situation is a bit different even though he proudly admitted, “I like playing night matches.” The 24 Grand Slam champion wants to start early in order to finish the game at a more “decent time.” 

Earlier in the French Open, Djokovic’s five-set thriller against Lorenzo Musetti (4 hours, 29 minutes) made history for its historical late-night finish, which prompted Djokovic to admit, “I think certain things could have been handled differently.” Coming to Ben Shelton, although he expressed his regrets on the scheduling issues, he also stated the one thing that made him happy even after losing!

Ben Shelton describes his “happy” moment after a loss against Tiafoe in the US Open

While Tiafoe lauded Ben Shelton as an “incredible player,” the 21-year-old player also showed his respect for his countryman after the loss. The two ATP Houston finalists’ goofiness on and off the court has been a treat for fans after their last year’s US Open match. Therefore, even amid the scheduling disappointments and the heartbreaking loss, Shelton, who has won twice against Tiafoe, shared some special words for his on-court rival.

“I think that it’s important to show it sometimes that, you know, you can be happy for a guy when they beat you. Obviously, there are some things I want to do better. I’m a competitor. I always want to win. I’ve taken a few things from him in the past year, and I thought that he’s always handled it well.”

The quarterfinalist of the Cincinnati Masters, Ben Shelton, will now take a step back, whereas Tiafoe will gear up for a match against Alexei Popyrin in the round of 16. However, as the tournament progresses, the scheduling conundrum continues to be a talking point. Will the US Open consider player preferences in the future? Only time will tell.