Madison Keys Reveals How Delays in Matches at Grand Slam Tournaments Affect Players Mentally

The year's final Grand Slam event at the US Open will kick off on August 24.

Madison Keys Reveals How Delays in Matches at Grand Slam Tournaments Affect Players Mentally

Madison Keys (Image via Queen's Club Championships)

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Madison Keys has raised concerns about the frequent match delays players face during Grand Slam tournaments, with the 2025 US Open singles event just days away. The tournament will host 128 players over a compact 14-day schedule.

In Grand Slam events, men’s matches are extended to five sets, while women’s matches remain best-of-three. But due to the number of players competing and the number of days required for each round, there are always delays in between matches. Aside from the beginning of a day or session match, other matches usually have no fixed time.

So, players often have to wait for each other to compete on the court, and to be successful, they must remain focused through this uncertainty. The reason behind the delays is that most men’s and women’s singles contests end up finishing five sets and three sets, respectively. Between those sets, there are medical timeouts and sometimes a last-minute rain delay.

In addition, the ATP and WTA have initiated a new policy regarding late matches. The rule allows no match to begin after 11pm unless it receives special approval. During the just-concluded Wimbledon Championship, Taylor Fritz’s match against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard was stopped at 10:18 pm, despite the curfew at the All England Club being 11:00 pm.

Both players had to play the fifth set the following day, but the reason behind their late finish was that the match started almost two hours after the supposed starting time. During an interview with the Guardian, Keys revealed that she was caught up in a situation where she had to wait for five sets of men’s matches before playing at the US Open.

At the US Open, I was third in line, but I was coming off two men’s matches. Both were five-setters, and I was coming off the night session. And that was the moment when I decided that five sets should be banned. I think we all look at the score and go, ‘Oh, come on!’ Because a lot of times, especially if you’re not on the main court, you can’t see the matches. So you’re just waiting and watching the scores change. You live and die. All of a sudden you’re rooting for someone you’ve never met, and then you move on to someone else.

Many players have complained about playing in the first session, which often starts at 11 am. Former World No.1 Daniil Medvedev has often revealed that his body isn’t in the best condition to play at that time.

US Open confirms Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner entrants in the mixed doubles event despite reaching the Cincinnati final

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are set to take part in the revamped US Open mixed doubles event. With both players playing the final of the Cincinnati Open on Monday (August 18), they were expected to withdraw from the competition, but on Sunday (August 17) the tournament confirmed their entrants in the draw.

Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz
Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (Image vIa X/Jannik Sinner HQ, Carlos Alcaraz 4K)

Sinner, who was supposed to partner with Emma Navarro, will now pair with Katerina Siniakova. Navarro and Paula Badosa withdrew from the event. Alcaraz will partner with former US Open champion Emma Raducanu. The highly anticipated partnership will take on Jessica Pegula and World No.5 Jack Draper in the first round of the mixed doubles event.

Novak Djokovic will return to the ATP tour for the first time since Wimbledon. He will partner with fellow compatriot Olga Danilovic, and they will face Russia’s Daniil Medvedev and Mirra Andreeva. However, Iga Swiatek, who won the final of the Cincinnati Open, will make a quick trip to New York to pair with Casper Ruud. Both players will take on Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe.

Former US Open singles champion Naomi Osaka will partner with Frenchman Gael Monfils, and they will take on American Caty McNally and Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti. Meanwhile, Sinner and Siniakova will face Belinda Bencic and Alexander Zverev in the first round of the tournament.

Also read: (Video) Iga Swiatek Gets Into an Awkward Confrontation With Interviewer After Reaching Cincinnati Open Final