Should Players Boycott SF and QF night matches?

I'm getting annoyed at this.

1. There is no need for night matches for QF and SF. It is just done to boost tour organisers profits and charge twice for the same day's play. Particularly with Saturday SFs, there is no logic for forcing people to play at night.

2. It also impacts some players more than others, They want a big draw for the night match. So Maria is always a target.

3. When there is a final or SF scheduled the next afternoon, the night match player is screwed.

4. This really devalues and skews the competition and the sport (which its all supposed to be about, right?) by giving a major advantage to the players the organisers pick for the easier ride.

So why don't the players do something about this? There should certainly be no night matches (except in exceptional circumstances) before an afternoon Final. There are points, prizemoney and reputations on the line in these matches, and they should be taken seriously - not as simply a "show". Players could campaign against this, or refuse to sign up for tournaments with night match Semis and Afternoon Finals.

YES !!!

Damn you, business-mens...

I think you should post this in GM if you don't want to hear biased answers, cause all the Masha fans are pretty over SF night matches by now.:lol:

A boycott would be a foolish response. It may be an annoyance to some players but not beyond that. It's a serious issue for Pova this year due to lack of deep tournament play. By next year, Pova will be tournament hardened again and this issue will retreat to the annoyance level again even for her, which is offset by her enjoyment of the limelight, the buzz and media attention. After all she is The Golden Girl, The It Girl, The Face Of Women's Tennis...

Not if she doesn't win any decent tournaments.

I'm sorry but there's no reason to hold a night match on a Saturday before a Sunday afternoon final. Getting over-tired may well have been a factor in Masha's foot injury, and her chances of winning the final were hugely reduced.
The same would apply to anyone having to play a late night match before a Final, when their opponent didn't have to. It just debases the sport by giving an unfair advantage to a player of the organisers choice. I don't see this happening in other sports, so why in Tennis? Players should make an issue of this.

I remember in Sydney, they put both women's semi finals in the day. And the final was the next night. Which is much more considerate.

US hard court season's scheduling is a little messy. But the reason she gets so many night matches is because she's Maria Sharapova.

Life's a Bitch.
Maria's chances to win the final were reduced by the fact that she couldn't hit winners when she had matchpoints.
I am sorry if I am too harsh but I hate it when people are whiny :shrug: Tennis is not the kind of sport where it is easy to put opponents in equal conditions.

I can see threads about how Maria should bring major changes to her team and routine in a couple of losses.

The fact Maria was leading in the match was a miracle.

Sport has got to be played as near as possible on a level field. (Appropriate metaphor. :)) There's no excuse for night matches at the weekend. it's just about Money. Players should not be exploited if it ruins their chances, even if they are called Maria.