ATP star criticizes the early scheduling that torments players, while peers respond: it's the same worldwide.

After losing the championship in Washington, Fokina delivered a gracious runner-up speech there. Late-night matches and early morning finishes are often complained about by players on the professional tennis circuit, but Fokina's concern is different: he feels the matches are scheduled too early.

This Spanish player, who recently finished as a runner-up in Washington, is now upset about being scheduled to play at 11 a.m. in the National Bank Open in Toronto. He traveled to Toronto on a private plane with fellow finalist De Minaur, breezed past Moutet on Wednesday, and will face 12th seed Monfils on Friday.

However, unlike most other matches in Toronto starting at 12:30 p.m., Fokina's third-round match is set to begin at 11 a.m. on the Motorola Razr court—this is the only venue in the tournament with morning matches scheduled.

This unfair arrangement has left him quite dissatisfied. The 25-year-old player expressed his discontent to the ATP in a public letter written in both Spanish and English on X: "Today I want to express my disappointment and frustration with the ATP. Tomorrow all matches start at 12:30 except for us, who are scheduled at 11. It takes an hour to get from where we are staying to the venue, which means we have to wake up very early to arrive in good condition."

“We requested a time adjustment, but the response was that all arrangements had been sold out, including tickets, TV broadcasting rights, etc. This again shows that players' interests are not considered at all.”

In both Toronto and Montreal, matches on the secondary main court do indeed start at 11 a.m., while other courts begin at 12:30. This arrangement continues until the round of 16, when the start time is unified.

Match times are determined by the event organizers and can vary between tournaments. For example, at the Miami Open, early rounds begin at noon, while in Fokina's home country, the Madrid Open, early rounds start at 11 a.m.

The ATP rulebook states: "Each event must submit a written schedule containing the proposed start times for each day and the number of courts used to the ATP at least 180 days before the event." This schedule must then be approved in writing by the ATP.

“Tomorrow all matches start at 12:30, except for us at 11. It takes an hour to get from where we are staying to the venue, which means we have to wake up very early to compete in good condition,” Fokina reiterated.

Although starting at 11 a.m. is common in many tournaments, players generally dislike this time because temperatures and humidity are rising, making conditions particularly tough. Earlier this week, sixth seed Rublev and eleventh seed Khachanov were also scheduled to play at 11 a.m. In Montreal, WTA players Kenin and Keys faced similar situations.

“Today it’s someone else’s turn, tomorrow it’s mine, and the day after, all matches go back to starting at 12:30,” Fokina wrote. “There are plenty of empty courts, yet we are the only ones scheduled at 11.” He directly criticized the ATP tour: “The ATP always says it will improve, but nothing ever changes. This isn’t the first time this has happened, and when you’re really in it, you realize the tour isn’t as glamorous as it seems from the outside.”

His post sparked polarized reactions. Many social media users praised him for daring to point out the scheduling issues, while others felt he was being too sensitive: “Is it really a problem to have an early match now?” Some even sarcastically remarked, “I wish I had that kind of privilege.”

In the locker room, not everyone sympathized with him. British player Evans directly fired back on Instagram: “Get up and play. People around the world wake up every morning to work from 9 to 5, or even 8 to 6. It’s really pathetic.”

In Canada, Fokina is not the only one complaining about the scheduling. Local player Fernandez, who just won the championship in Washington, arrived in Montreal without a seed and without a first-round bye. Despite her request to play in the first round on Tuesday night, it was ultimately not accommodated.

Although Fernandez attributed it to “political factors,” tournament director Valérie Tétreault stated in a media interview that she had tried her best but could not overturn scheduling restrictions. “I didn’t win this battle,” she said. “As tournament director, my job is to communicate with the WTA, and I’ve done my utmost.”(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Spark)