Novak Djokovic, despite publicly requesting that the US Open make a change for him, has seen his plea denied.
The Serbian was comprehensive in his win over Radu Albot earlier this week, kickstarting his campaign in New York in blistering fashion.
He dominated throughout, despite being broken once, and in the end was good value for his win.
However, naturally selected to star on Arthur Ashe as the defending champion, his match did not finish until early in the morning, once again.
Djokovic then requested earlier starts at the US Open to prevent such late finishes, or at the very least a move to a day session.
He has now received a response.
Novak Djokovic has US Open request denied
Facing Laslo Djere in the second round of the US Open, Novak Djokovic will once again be expected to cruise through this stage.
After all, the 29-year-old, who is currently ranked 109th in the world, has very little in his arsenal to struggle the 24-time Grand Slam champion, seeking to set himself apart from the rest of tennis by claiming number 25 this time around.
He will hope to dispatch his opponent with speed to avoid another late finish, and despite specifically requesting an earlier start, there has been no such luck in the scheduling.
He is due to once again play the late-night match on Arthur Ashe, which will likely be a bone of contention for the 37-year-old, even if it likely won’t hamper his chance of scoring a simple victory over Djere.
The biggest names will always be given the night matches
Whilst it’s understandable that Djokovic would lobby for a more favourite start time for him personally, realistically the night matches offer the most recovery, should you speed through them.
As the competition drags on and the standard of player increases, that is when these frustrations are made more valid, but for now, it could be argued that he is being favoured with this scheduling.
It’s to be expected as well, given he is the defending champion, and inarguably the biggest draw of anyone in the competition.
One of the greatest of all time, people will always clamber to watch someone of his legendary status, no matter who he plays.
This scheduling is simply the price he has to pay for such greatness.
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