Navratilova explodes against the US Open: "It's the only sport where this happens"

Martina Navratilova has highlighted one of the major issues caused by the US Open 2026. It's not a new debate, but it will continue as long as the schedules for night sessions in New York remain unchanged.

The former world number 1 has not held back in expressing her views on a situation that has already led to eye-catching scenes, such as Venus Williams's match, which started at 12:15 AM New York time, setting the record for the latest start in the tournament's history. For one of the greatest legends in tennis history, the limit seems to have been crossed long ago.

“It was the latest start ever for a women's match, after midnight, but it could have been even later. Tennis is the only sport that does this; I think it's crazy,” Navratilova stated in comments to Sky Sports. A strong criticism of a scheduling issue that has been generating debate for years, but in this edition of the US Open, it is reaching particularly extreme situations.

The controversy is not limited to the women's draw. Alexander Zverev, for instance, finished his match against Lorenzo Sonego close to 2 AM after a battle that lasted for hours. The problem lies in the current format of the night session at Flushing Meadows, which starts at 7 PM and typically includes one men's match best of five sets and one women's match best of three. When the first match runs long, the second is inevitably condemned to begin at an inappropriate hour.

Navratilova proposes a radical change at the US Open

The solution proposed by Navratilova involves radically changing the order of matches. “I think they should schedule the men's singles matches first and then, perhaps, a doubles match,” she explained. This way, she believes more matches could be included without forcing players to take the court in the early hours of the morning.

Image

Her proposal goes even further. If women's matches are still held during the night session, they should be scheduled in such a way that another doubles match or even another women's singles match could be played afterward. The goal, according to the American, would be to make better use of the nighttime slot and prevent any match from being relegated to hours unsuitable for a Grand Slam.

Navratilova's criticism comes at a particularly delicate moment for the tournament. Venus Williams's case has once again raised the debate about how much these late hours can affect players' rest, recovery, and performance. The New York Grand Slam needs to review its formula before starting a match after midnight becomes less of an exception and more of a regular occurrence. For Martina, the conclusion is simple.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Navratilova estalla contra el US Open: “Es el único deporte donde pasa esto”