Retired American tennis star Andy Roddick weighed in on Ben Shelton’s five-set victory over Carlos Alcaraz at the U.S. Open, which ended in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Shelton secured the biggest victory of his young professional career in a tiebreaker shortly after 3:30 a.m. ET, becoming the first American man to defeat either Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner at a Grand Slam. His victory, coupled with Frances Tiafoe’s five-set win over fellow American Alex Michelsen in the other men’s quarterfinal, guaranteed that at least one American would reach the 2026 U.S. Open final.
The last time an American-born man brought home the men’s singles title at the U.S. Open was in 2003, when Roddick won his lone Grand Slam.
On a recent edition of his “Served” podcast, Roddick addressed criticism surrounding the tournament’s late-night schedule and overall logistics, making clear he had no regrets about how the match ultimately turned out.
“I know a lot of the comments are, you know, ‘How do you finish at four in the morning?’ and all of that,” Roddick said. “Well, every match goes to a match tiebreak except for one. And you’ve got to get 25,000 people out of a stadium responsibly, and you’ve got to get 25,000 people in responsibly. So, I hear a lot of complaining. I don’t hear a lot of proposed solutions.”
Roddick stood by the Grand Slam’s late-night session format while conceding that a five-hour match could test viewers’ patience, echoing a concern raised by sports podcaster Bill Simmons.
“Starting earlier wasn’t possible because of Frances and Mickelson’s match,” Roddick said. “And so, you have to have a night session at the US Open. It’s one of the things that we all love. And they’ve been on the wrong side of luck. Now, I know there are some people who have said shorter format. And I know Bill Simmons made the point that this is ridiculous, that we’re playing too long. He’s normally well-thought-out in his thoughts. I don’t disagree with the premise that, like, ‘Five hours is too much. I’m bored.'”
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“7-6 in the fifth last night for Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz in that match, where Tiafoe is down two sets, and the guy’s serving for it — I kind of like the fact that we have a sport where you get into these long-form matches, and it’s the hardest thing on earth,” Roddick said. “It’s the hardest sport in the world. If you take that away, can we lay that claim anymore? I don’t know.”
Roddick acknowledged the practical case for a shorter format, noting the challenges a late-night match can pose for those working behind the scenes.
“I understand all the pragmatists out there that say we should have a shorter format. I understand the reasons for it. I understand that it’s inconvenient for Sean to be up until 4:00 a.m., you know, watching this match while he’s editing last night’s show,” Roddick said. “I understand that some people have to go to sleep because, like you, I had to go to sleep to protect my workday today. I understand all of the rational arguments.”
On Friday, Tiafoe and Shelton will meet on center court at Arthur Ashe Stadium, named for the 1968 champion who remains the last Black American man to win the U.S. Open men’s singles title.