Tennis veteran, Venus Williams, has described her 12:13 a.m. start at the US Open as far from ideal after suffering a first-round defeat to Sofia Kenin early Monday morning.
The match between Williams and Kenin was delayed by almost five hours as Novak Djokovic and Mariano Navone battled through a gruelling five-set encounter on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Djokovic eventually completed his match at 2:01 a.m. local time, setting a record for the latest start in US Open history and contributing to one of the tournament’s latest finishes, with fewer than 1,000 spectators remaining in the stadium.
Williams, 46, was unable to overcome Kenin, losing 6-2, 7-6 to suffer her 15th straight defeat in singles competition.
Despite the loss, the American legend is expected to remain in action at the tournament, with a doubles appearance alongside her sister, Serena Williams, still on the schedule.
Reflecting on the unusually late start, Williams said she would have preferred a different arrangement and suggested that the scheduling could be improved.
“It’s not ideal. I would have preferred something else, definitely. I think it wasn’t great for either of us, so I think we both tried our best.
“I just don’t know any other sport where you have to start that late. I definitely think there’s room for improvement there. I just kept pushing myself to try to find my best tennis and to find my rhythm. It’s not easy to do in the first round. It’s not easy to do it at 1am or 2am in the morning.
“The crowd was really enthusiastic. I had never played a match that late before, and I was happy to see that so many people stayed. It was a real honour to play in front of them.”
