There have been a few big changes made to the ATP schedule of late, and while Novak Djokovic has been vocal about the schedule, other players have taken issue with the Sunday instead of Monday start. With the US Open now also beginning on a Sunday, Wimbledon is the only remaining Grand Slam that starts on a Monday, as was the tradition! And while some players have taken issue with this, others, such as Aryna Sabalenka, and most recently, Novak Djokovic, might have different opinions.

Australian tennis player Jordan Thompson didn’t mince his words about the change, saying, “I hate the Sunday start. Tournaments don’t start on Sunday – they finish on Sunday. Pretty sure no player would like (it), particularly me.” While the change breaches tradition, it also feels pointed toward increased viewership over anything else, with John McEnroe outright calling it a ‘money grab.’

It would seem that more players would be upset by the obvious nature of the change. Taylor Fritz also chimed in on the subject, saying of his first US Open match, “Didn’t really want to play on Sunday and didn’t want to play early in the day either, so they got me.” He, however added that time of the day was more important to him than what day it was. Aryna Sabalenka, who just won her first-round match of the US Open against Rebeka Masarova 7-5, 6-1, had a slightly different take.

When elobarating on her answer, she said,“well, it’s a tricky question, I didn’t choose to play on Sunday, but if you win the match it feels great, you have like an extra day off, which can be good and bad. But I think, me personally, I got used to it and I kind of like it.”

Sabalenka added, with her post win glow, “but it only works if you win the match, you know, imagine if you finish the tournament on Sunday. Then you can be a little bit frustrated with the scheduling, but I prefer, the older I get, I prefer to have an extra day.”

Sabalenka’s diplomatic answer didn’t really shed light on her feelings on the larger issue at hand, but a win is a win, and a win definitely takes precedence over viewership controversies! Novak Djokovic seems to think so too.

Novak Djokovic changes tone on the ATP scheduling changes after US Open win

Clearly, even Novak Djokovic, who was quick to question the ATP for extending the schedules, has changed his tone. Earlier on the 24 time grand slam winner criticized players for speaking out about the issue too late, saying, “I support the players. But (at) the end of the day, when the players needed to be active and when there was a time of negotiations and decision-making, players weren’t participating enough.” However, with regard to the Sunday start, Djokovic now seems to hold a different position.

During his post win speech of the US Open at the Arthur Ashe stadium, Djokovic said,“Well, good evening New York, thank you for showing up tonight.” He continued on to the excited crowd, post win. “It was also great to experience a Sunday night for the first time in my career. Never started a tournament on Sunday, and I will definitely want more Sunday starts in the future. Best night session in the world, the atmosphere was electric. Amazing noise, you guys were great tennis fans.”

Djokovic was clearly moved by the weekend energy the crowd brought with it despite the medical timeout that he took earlier in the game owing to a blister on his right toe, and maybe this shaped his game! Maybe things aren’t so black and white when it comes to which day to begin the tournaments on, and there’s no reason the beginnings shouldn’t be celebrated just as well as the conclusions.

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