Venus Williams has fans around the world who eagerly wait for her matches, but both the tennis star and her supporters were left surprised when her first-round US Open match began after midnight. Williams called out the tournament over the unusual scheduling.
Venus Williams said the midnight US Open start wasn’t fair to either player
The US Open match began 13 minutes past midnight on Monday, August 31. Unhappy with the timing, the 46-year-old called out the tournament, saying that it was not great for either player and that Venus Williams had expected something different.
As per the People’s coverage, Williams said, “I would’ve preferred something else, definitely. I think it wasn’t great for either of us; we both tried our best, but yeah.”
“I just don’t know any other sport where you have to start that late. I definitely think there’s room for improvement there,” she added
The match was between Sofia Kenin and Venus Williams, with the former world No. 1 losing 2-6, 6-7.
Venus Williams’ comments may make fans wonder why her match started at midnight, but a closer look at the tournament schedule explains the main reason. The previous match at Arthur Ashe Stadium lasted much longer than expected.
Novak Djokovic and Mariano Navone played a five-set match that lasted 4 hours and 36 minutes. The organizers did not expect the match to last that long. Mariano Navone ultimately won the match.
However, Venus Williams was not the only one unhappy with the schedule. Several other famous faces also expressed their frustration with the US Open scheduling.
Journalist Ben Rothenberg wrote, “This Venus-Kenin match is setting a new record for latest EVER start to a U.S. Open match. The previous record was 12:08 a.m. for Sabalenka-Alexandrova in 2024. This match started at 12:13 by my clock.”
Ben also called the match “dysfunctional.” Tennis journalist Simon Cambers also commented on the tournament schedule, saying that a Grand Slam tennis tournament should not start this late and calling the timing “ridiculous.”
Venus Williams is now out of the singles tournament, but fans can still watch her play at the US Open as she is expected to compete in doubles alongside Serena Williams on either September 3 or September 4.
