US Open tennis players react to earlier start of tournament
Share and Follow


Day 1 of singles play is Sunday instead of Monday this year, expanding the year’s last Grand Slam tournament from 14 days to 15.

NEW YORK — Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova made clear they didn’t love the idea of starting a Grand Slam tournament on a Sunday instead of a Monday when the French Open was the first to do it nearly 20 years ago and they were on the schedule for the new, earlier Day 1.

Now that the trend has reached the U.S. Open this year, not every current player is exactly a proponent of the switch, either — even if the crowds were gathering on-site Sunday morning before the start of competition.

“I hate the Sunday start,” said Jordan Thompson, an Australian who’s been ranked as high as No. 26 in singles and No. 3 in doubles. “Tournaments don’t start on Sunday; they finish on Sunday. Pretty sure no player would like (it), particularly me.”

Alas, Thompson was scheduled to face Corentin Moutet on Sunday as things got going at Flushing Meadows, where there will now be 15 days of singles competition instead of 14, and there’s little doubt that more money from all sorts of sources was part of the calculus behind the change.

“I’m not really a fan of it. I don’t know why they had to make it even longer. Well, I know why they did it — they get to sell tickets for an extra day,” said 2024 U.S. Open runner-up Jessica Pegula, this year’s No. 4 seed, who was due in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday night to play against Mayar Sherif. “I’m not really for it. I don’t think a lot of the players were for it, especially those who play the week before a Slam. It makes everything a little longer and a little harder. I don’t think a lot of players want that.”

Pegula cited this move by the U.S. Tennis Association — which followed the French Tennis Federation’s decision to begin on Sunday in 2006, and the Australian Open’s move to do the same in 2024 — as an example of her sport’s repeated failure to ask for, or follow up on, athletes’ input. Wimbledon is now the lone major that starts on Monday.

“A lot of times, they ask for player feedback and when we do (respond), they don’t listen to anything we say,” said Pegula, one of 20 players who signed a letter in March sent to the people who run the Grand Slam events to ask for better communication, more contributions to player welfare and a higher share of revenue. “The way they go about announcing these things, sometimes players aren’t aware.”

This also comes at a time that players have complained about the recent shift to longer non-Slam tournaments that last more than a week.

Those in charge of tennis point to higher prize money that comes from those extended tournaments — and changes such as the extra day have coincided with increases in prize money, which is up to a record $85 million, including $5 million to each singles champion, at the U.S. Open.

USTA spokesman Brendan McIntyre said adding a 15th day of singles not only can “provide more fans the opportunity to see main draw singles competition in person, but also gives fans around the globe the opportunity to watch … (on television) on a weekend day and night.”

But there are players, such as Thompson, two-time U.S. Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe or Matteo Arnaldi of Italy, who said it’s a mistake to set things up so someone who makes a tournament debut on Sunday and wins wouldn’t play again until Wednesday, a change to the every-other-day rhythm at the Slams.

“I mean, I get it,” Tiafoe, an American who is seeded 17th and plays his first match Monday, said about the Sunday opening. “Why not? If you can make money on a day and get the guys out there, and we’re already all here anyway (on what used to be) kind of a dead day … it’s not a bad thing. But the two days off that early in a Slam? It’s a little weird.”

Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.     

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
Jamie Foxx goes off on audience for throwing item at GloRilla during concert

Jamie Foxx Reacts to Concert Incident Involving Audience and GloRilla

Jamie Foxx was visibly upset during a performance at his home when…
Hurricane Melissa strengthens to Category 5 as it nears Jamaica

Hurricane Melissa Intensifies to Category 5, Approaches Jamaica with Increased Force

Hurricane Melissa has escalated to a formidable Category 5 storm as it…
UK journalist detained for 'supporting terrorism' on American soil

Shocking Arrest: UK Journalist Accused of Terrorism Support in the US – What You Need to Know

A British national is currently being held by U.S. immigration authorities due…
Trump's coy response as whispers grow of a secret third term plan

Speculation Mounts: Trump’s Ambiguous Remarks Fuel Rumors of a Secret Third Term Strategy

Donald Trump has expressed a strong interest in serving a third term…
Trump administration posts notice that no federal food aid will go out Nov. 1

Trump Administration Announces Suspension of Federal Food Aid Starting November 1

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued a critical update on its…
Trump tests GOP pressure points with beef, DOJ moves

Trump Challenges GOP Dynamics Amid DOJ Actions and Policy Debates

President Trump is strategically testing the boundaries within the Republican Party, making…
Walmart theft suspect found possessing multiple social security and financial cards

Shocking Walmart Theft Bust: Suspect Caught with Trove of Stolen Social Security and Financial Cards

OGDEN, Utah (ABC4) – In a recent incident, an Ogden resident found…
NFL legend Adrian Peterson arrested for DWI for second time this year

NFL Icon Adrian Peterson Faces Second DWI Arrest This Year

Adrian Peterson, a celebrated figure in Minnesota Vikings history, has reportedly been…