Carlos Alcaraz demands ATP make major change after 'suffering' during US Open

Men’s singles world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz has urged the ATP to make a major change to tennis scheduling.

Alcaraz has endured a tough 2026, having been sidelined with a wrist injury for five months between April and August before finally returning to the court at the US Open. The Spaniard managed to reach the quarter-finals, where he ran into America’s Ben Shelton, with the pair playing out a five-set thriller which finished at 3:34am local time.

Shelton came out on top, completing a 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) victory in what became the latest finish in the tournament’s history.

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Carlos Alcaraz proposes change to scheduling

Alcaraz thinks changes should be made to avoid matches being played in the small hours of the morning in future.

Eventual US Open winner Alexander Zverev was still playing after 1am in three of five matches.

“I think it’s too much,” Alcaraz told BBC Sport.

“The last match people stayed, but if that match was played earlier, the court could have been packed.

“I would like to change the schedule a little, with a maximum finish at 11pm or whatever would be better.”

Further elaborating on his US Open experience, Alcaraz said: “The quarter-final was great – it was a gift for me.

“I suffered, but I enjoyed, and that’s why I smiled when I walked out of the court because I missed that feeling.”

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ATP star questions scheduling rules

The Spaniard is not the first tennis player to question the current scheduling of competitions, and he will most likely not be the last.

Not only are the late start times of matches a point of contention, but the sheer volume of tournaments players are effectively forced to play in is also an issue.

Former US Open finalist Taylor Fritz claimed that it was impossible for him to shorten his calendar to rest due to the penalties players receive for not competing in mandatory tournaments.

“No matter how much I try to shorten my calendar, it’s still going to be a lot. It’s really tough,” Fritz said on The Big T Podcast.

“You need to play mandatory 500s and 1000s. If you want to miss the mandatory 1000s and take the penalties for not playing the 500s, I’d say you’re putting yourself at a serious disadvantage.

“My schedule is long, but I’m only playing my mandatory 500s and 1000s and then two or three 250s throughout the year. It’s very tough to shorten it, to be honest.”

As per ATP rules, all players ranked in the top 30 must take part in eight of the nine Masters tournaments. Indian Wells, the Miami Open, Madrid Open, Italian Open, Canadian Open, Cincinnati Open, Shanghai Masters and Paris Masters are all mandatory, with the Monte-Carlo tournament being optional. Players are also expected to play in at least four ATP 500 tournaments.

Missing tournaments can result in penalties impacting ranking points and bonus pool shares.