The pro tennis tours are trying to cut down on matches that stretch past midnight

In their first coordinated efforts to cut back on late-night tennis, the women’s and men’s professional tours introduced new scheduling guidelines Tuesday that include preventing matches from starting after 11 p.m. except with approval and recommending a 6:30 p.m. start for night sessions at tournaments. “It’s imperative that we evolve and adapt to the demands of the modern game, particularly where player health and fan experience are concerned.” The tours said the number of matches finishing after midnight “has risen considerably in recent years,” prompting the rules about late sessions that go into effect this month at WTA and ATP events on a trial basis for this season. The new scheduling guidance put forth by the tours on Tuesday includes allowing no more than five matches on any court each day after an 11 a.m. start, with three during a day session and two in the evening; no matches starting after 11 p.m., unless a supervisor from one of the tours and tour management give the OK; any matches that haven’t started by 10:30 p.m. must be moved to a different court, so long as it’s before 11 p.m.; night sessions can’t begin after 7:30 p.m., and it’s preferable that they should start an hour earlier than that. For years, each tournament has been allowed to choose a ball supplier or sponsor, “leading to potential inconsistencies of balls used week-on-week,” Tuesday’s news release said, adding that the aim is to “now move towards a more consistent and centralized approach by WTA and ATP.” ___ AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis