No left-hander likes to play between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.," players share their preferences on match schedules
Tennis is likely one of the sports that requires the most adaptation due to the unpredictable length of matches. A real headache for organizers, scheduling often leads to criticism, whether from players or tennis fans.
As a result, the newspaper L’Équipe gathered several testimonies from players on the tour who responded to this issue.
Humbert: "In the morning, you know what time you’re playing, you prepare, and when your match is over, you have the rest of the day for recovery."
Sabalenka: "When the match is quick, I like playing in the morning. That way, I can enjoy the rest of my day and go for a walk in the city. Do some shopping."
Garcia: "In Grand Slams, you want to play in the first session. If you play after the men, it’s impossible to manage: they can play for two to five hours. So you warm up eight times! When it’s two South American players, you know it could last six hours—it’s a nightmare! You have to be there early if it goes quickly, and if it doesn’t, you wait."
Mannarino: "We need our bodies to be ready, so if you play in the morning, that means you wake up at 6 a.m. At 7 a.m., you warm up. It’s annoying, and you feel like you’re always rushing because the match comes so fast. Whereas when you play in the middle of the afternoon, you have time to wake up calmly, prepare your body, your strings...
Also, all courts on the ATP tour are supposed to be oriented the same way, and a left-hander, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., has the sun right in their face. No left-hander likes playing at that time because on one side, you can’t see the ball during the serve. After 2 p.m., it’s more complicated for right-handers. These are small details, but they matter.
However, there’s also the atmosphere, which is never great in the morning. When you play first or second match, everyone is more or less eating. One person has a sandwich, another has chips, there’s noise... Between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., people don’t want to watch tennis in the blazing sun. The fun matches and the crazy atmospheres are always in the late afternoon and evening.
