MADRID — Jannik Sinner is calling for an improved scheduling system at the Madrid Open, expressing that the night sessions “throw off the entire day” for competitors.
Sinner kicked off his Tuesday match with an impressive morning performance, defeating Cameron Norrie 6-2, 7-5, marking his 20th consecutive win and securing a spot in the quarterfinals of the ATP-WTA event in the vibrant Spanish capital.
The world’s top-ranked player noted that while he is flexible regarding match timings, the late-night competitions—some stretching past 1 a.m. local time—take a toll on the players’ “body and mind.”
“Even on days off, fans only see us on the court, but when we finish at 1:15 (a.m.),” he elaborated. “After press conferences, recovery, and meals, it’s typically 4 or 5 a.m. before you can sleep. It disrupts the entire day. We definitely could improve in this regard.”
For his next challenge, Sinner is set to face Spain’s Rafael Jódar, who won against fellow teenager Rafael Fonseca at 1 a.m. on Monday. Jódar then advanced with a seamless 7-5, 6-0 victory over Vit Kopriva on Tuesday afternoon, marking his debut at a Masters 1000 quarterfinal.
“It’s complicated when there are two matches scheduled starting at 8 (p.m.),” Sinner remarked. “You can’t expect that each match will be wrapped up in just an hour and a half, especially with the first game potentially finishing around 11 (p.m.). When Jódar played last night, it was extremely late, with him going on court around 11 and concluding near 1, 1:15. That seems too late from my perspective.”
Sinner emphasized that it’s “common sense” for him to play at 11 a.m. on Tuesday while Jódar starts at 4 p.m. to allow for adequate recovery time.
The highly anticipated Sinner-Jódar quarterfinal is set for 4 p.m. on Wednesday at the Caja Mágica.
