Jannik Sinner has questioned the Madrid Open schedule after reaching the quarterfinals, saying the late-night matches are becoming too tough on players. The World No. 1 defeated Cameron Norrie in straight sets, but after the win, he spoke more about the tournament timings than the result itself.
Sinner explained that matches finishing after midnight make recovery very difficult because players still need to eat, complete treatment, and prepare for the next round before finally getting rest.
His match against Cameron Norrie started at 11 a.m. local time, which was unusual compared to his earlier afternoon matches against Benjamin Bonzi and Elmer Moller. One of the later slots went to Spanish wildcard Rafael Jodar, and Sinner said he fully agreed with that decision. However, he made it clear that his real issue is with the regular 8 p.m. matches, which often end far too late. Speaking to TennisHead, he said the Madrid Open should rethink the schedule because it affects both the body and the mind of players during such a long event.
“It was quite unusual for me. I don’t know the last time I played at 11. For me, it doesn’t matter what time, I tried to do my best. It was a question if me or Rafa Jodar plays at 4, but I think it’s right that he plays at 4. He finished very late, and at the same time, I feel like we need to make some adjustments with scheduling out of the day. Two matches from 8 p.m. are very late, even though you have one day in between. It’s very late. You finish at 1:30 and need to eat and have treatment. It’s very late. We try to adapt ourselves and bodies and minds.”
Sinner also spoke about the stomach virus that affected several players during the tournament. Players like Iga Swiatek, Marin Cilic, Liudmila Samsonova, Madison Keys, and Coco Gauff all dealt with illness or withdrawals during the event.
He said he may have avoided the issue because he spends very little time at the venue unless necessary.
“I heard many withdrawals. I don’t spend a lot of time here. I come match days a bit earlier, but practice days very late. I practice and then I get away. This is how I do every tournament.”
Sinner will now face either Rafael Jodar or Vit Kopriva in the quarterfinals as he continues his Madrid Open run.
