Veteran tennis star Venus Williams has called her record-setting 12:13 a.m. start time at the US Open not ideal after losing her first-round match to Sofia Kenin in the early hours of Monday morning.
Williams and Kenin had to wait for a nearly five-hour, five-set marathon between Novak Djokovic and Mariano Navone on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Play concluded at 2:01 a.m. local time, marking the latest start and one of the latest finishes in US Open history with barely 1,000 fans left in the stands.
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The 46-year-old veteran fell in straight sets (6-2, 7-6) for her 15th consecutive singles defeat, though she remains slated to play doubles alongside her sister, Serena Williams.
Venus noted that no other sport forces athletes to begin competing at such an ungodly hour, stating there is definite room for improvement.
“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.
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“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.”
