Zverev calls out China Open chiefs after being forced to play until 3am

Halep given four-year ban from tennis over doping offences

Alexander Zverev has become the latest player to call out tennis chiefs over the issue of match scheduling. The 26-year-old defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-7 (4) 6-2 6-1 in Beijing to progress to the quarter-finals of the China Open in a match that didn’t start until after midnight. 

In the end, play was wrapped up at 2.40am local time as he defeated his Spanish foe over three sets. Zverev wasn’t best pleased about being forced to play into the early hours of Sunday morning and made his feelings clear in the immediate aftermath.

“I’m happy with the win. Obviously, it’s difficult to play til 3am. I’m not sure it was the right call to keep us on this court. I think we should’ve changed courts.

“We should’ve gone on. There’s so many great courts on the stadium. So many opportunities where we could’ve played. I’m not sure we should’ve waited til past midnight to start the match, to be honest.”

Zverev raised similar concerns at the Madrid Open last year after a late finish to his semi-final match against Stefanos Tsitisipas meant he went to bed at 4am the night before taking on World No 2 Carlos Alcaraz in the final. 

“The ATP’s job was an absolute disgrace this week,” he said. “To play a final against Carlos Alcaraz, who for me is the best player in the world right now, in a Masters 1000 event… it is difficult.

Don’t miss…
Coco Gauff admits tennis boredom issues after historic US Open victory[LATEST]
Andy Murray exposes and calls out Novak Djokovic over ‘how dare you’ reaction[LATEST]
Medvedev weighs in on Alcaraz achieving dream at expense of Djokovic[LATEST]

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

“I had no coordination. I had no coordination on my serve, I had no coordination on my groundstrokes. I missed two overheads that were super easy because I see the ball and everything is moving in my eyes.”

Late finishes have become an increasing problem in the sport. Elena Rybakina was left, in her own words, “destroyed” by a 3am finish to her quarter-final match with Daria Kasatkina in Montreal two months ago. She was noticeably off her game the next day when she played Liudmila Samsonova in the semis with her post-midnight marathon clearly taking its toll.

“It was horrible, to be honest,” said Rybakina. “It’s not easy because they [the injuries] are not even because of the amount of tennis I played or how long the matches were. It’s really tough to recover when you go to sleep at 5am.”

Unlock all Sky Sports channels, including Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, and Sky Sports Golf. And unlike other channel bundles from Sky, its sports coverage arrives in High Definition as standard! 

Contract length: 18-months

Get the complete Sky Sports package, as well as everything 300 TV channels, including Sky Atlantic, 500 on-demand boxsets, and a Netflix subscription. With its 4K QLED screen and built-in Dolby Atmos soundbar, Glass should provide a brilliant viewing on match day!

Set-up costs: £10 | Free delivery nationwide

For a limited time, Sky has slashed £90 off the cost of its Sky Sports package. This bundle, which usually costs £51 per month, includes the award-winning Sky Stream box, a complete Netflix subscription, and all Sky Sports channels! 

Set-up costs: £0 | Contract length: 18-months

Source: Read Full Article