Novak Djokovic sent a message to US Open organisers about scheduling after his opening round match finished late at night.
The legendary Serbian expressed his hope to be scheduled to play the first match of the night session more often as he admitted finishing after midnight is “not really what you want.”
Djokovic eased to a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 victory against Radu Albot in a first round contest that lasted two hours and seven minutes and finished at around midnight.
It was the second and final night session match scheduled on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday after the three-set women’s singles contest between Clara Burel and Sloane Stephens
Following his win against Albot, Djokovic admitted being 37 does not make it easier to deal with late-night finishes.
“Well, I don’t think that aging helps really staying so late and playing very late,” the Serbian said in his press conference. “I can feel, you know, my batteries are low now. I’m shutting down.
But it’s been a long wait, to be honest. I thought I’m going to go out on the court, like 8:15pm, because Stephens was 6-0, 3-0 serving and then all of a sudden it turns out to be a two-and-a-half hour match or whatever.
“You just have to accept it, I guess. I like playing night matches, but I love to start first. So hopefully I get more chances to play at night and am scheduled first so we can start at a more decent time and finish at a more decent time.
“I guess for the fans there is something special about late-night finishes, particularly post-midnight. For us, I don’t know. It’s not really what you want, but if you get a W (win), then it’s all good.”
Djokovic did not get his wish for his second round match against Serbian compatriot Laslo Djere, which has also been scheduled last on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The 24-time major champion spoke about the difficulty of arriving at the US Open having not played a tournament on hard courts since the Indian Wells Masters in March.
“It’s always challenging to start, particularly when you haven’t played on this surface for five, six months and coming off an Olympic gold and playing on clay,” Djokovic explained.
“I’m expecting to be probably challenged a little bit more in the opening rounds. The good thing about Slams is you have a day between matches where you can train, where you can really work on things and perfect your game. That’s what I need.”
Djokovic also discussed facing Djere, who he came from two sets down to beat in the third round of the 2023 US Open.
“It’s obviously great for Serbian tennis that two Serbian players are playing each other,” said the world No 2.
“It’s a guaranteed third round for one of the two Serbians. I hope it’s me, but Djere is a guy who really likes playing on a big stage.
“I think he also likes the conditions here. It’s a bit faster. The ball stays low. He has a very flat backhand in particular and a very good serve, a great return. He’s physically as fit as anyone.
“I remember our match very well. It was a very tough match. I’ll try to analyse that and hopefully do some things even better than last year.
