The US Open will revert to a 14-day tournament from 2015 after United States Tennis Association officials reached an agreement with players on restructuring the playing schedule and increasing prize money.
The USTA announced in December it was adding an extra
day in 2013 and 2014 to the last Grand Slam of the year to give players a
day off between the semi-finals and final, extending the tournament to
15 days with the men's final being played on a Monday.
But after discussions with players, the USTA announced on Wednesday
that the finals would move back to their traditional time slots from
2015, with the men's championship on Sunday and the women's title match
on Saturday.
"We've had conversations for the past several years with the players
about the advisability of playing back-to-back on Saturday and Sundays
for the semis and finals," US Open tournament director David Brewer
said.
"It's simply taken us some time to get to the point where
structurally we could provide that promised day of rest, and the day of
rest is now locked and loaded going forward."
The men's semi-finals, which have generally been held the day before
the final as part of the US Open's controversial "Super-Saturday", would
be brought forward by a day to Friday to give the players a rest.
The men's first round, which had been spread over three days, will be
held over two days, bringing the US Open in line with the other Grand
Slams.
The changes will not come into effect until 2015 because the initial
changes had already been locked in as part of an agreement with the ATP
and WTA.
The five-year deal also included a hefty increase in prize money for
the US Open. Officials had already announced this year's event would
increase by $4.1 million (£2.7m) to $33.6m (£22.2m), but said the total
purse would be raised to $50m (£33.1m) by 2017.
"Over the last year, (we've) had some spirited discussions (with
players) but nothing like a threat," USTA executive director Gordon
Smith said.
"We knew that we would be going up on prize money, as our income increases and frankly as the needs of players have increased.
"We have to recognise that the players mean everything to the Open
and they're incredibly valuable to the sport and valuable to the success
of the Open, and we have to reward them accordingly."
The US Open programme has been hotly debated by players for years after rain delays wreaked havoc on the event.
The tournament has spilled into a third week for each of the past
five years because of weather delays, triggering complaints over why the
showcase courts are not covered.
Wimbledon and the Australian Open both have retractable roofs over
their centre courts and the French Open has announced plans to do the
same at Roland Garros but the USTA says it is too expensive to do in New
York.
The problem has been compounded by the congested schedule for the finals, which prompted the decision to make changes.
"These increases are the largest in the history of the sport,
representing a significant step forward in truly recognising the input
the players have in the success of the US Open," ATP president Brad
Drewett said in a statement.
"We also welcome the decision from the USTA to adopt a schedule with
the men's semi-finals completed by Friday and the final on Sunday, from
2015 onwards."
The USTA announced in December it was adding an extra
day in 2013 and 2014 to the last Grand Slam of the year to give players a
day off between the semi-finals and final, extending the tournament to
15 days with the men's final being played on a Monday.
But after discussions with players, the USTA announced on Wednesday
that the finals would move back to their traditional time slots from
2015, with the men's championship on Sunday and the women's title match
on Saturday."We've had conversations for the past several years with the players about the advisability of playing back-to-back on Saturday and Sundays for the semis and finals," US Open tournament director David Brewer said.
"It's simply taken us some time to get to the point where structurally we could provide that promised day of rest, and the day of rest is now locked and loaded going forward."
The men's semi-finals, which have generally been held the day before the final as part of the US Open's controversial "Super-Saturday", would be brought forward by a day to Friday to give the players a rest.
The men's first round, which had been spread over three days, will be held over two days, bringing the US Open in line with the other Grand Slams.
The changes will not come into effect until 2015 because the initial changes had already been locked in as part of an agreement with the ATP and WTA.
The five-year deal also included a hefty increase in prize money for the US Open. Officials had already announced this year's event would increase by $4.1 million (£2.7m) to $33.6m (£22.2m), but said the total purse would be raised to $50m (£33.1m) by 2017.
"Over the last year, (we've) had some spirited discussions (with players) but nothing like a threat," USTA executive director Gordon Smith said.
"We knew that we would be going up on prize money, as our income increases and frankly as the needs of players have increased.
"We have to recognise that the players mean everything to the Open and they're incredibly valuable to the sport and valuable to the success of the Open, and we have to reward them accordingly."
The US Open programme has been hotly debated by players for years after rain delays wreaked havoc on the event.
The tournament has spilled into a third week for each of the past five years because of weather delays, triggering complaints over why the showcase courts are not covered.
Wimbledon and the Australian Open both have retractable roofs over their centre courts and the French Open has announced plans to do the same at Roland Garros but the USTA says it is too expensive to do in New York.
The problem has been compounded by the congested schedule for the finals, which prompted the decision to make changes.
"These increases are the largest in the history of the sport, representing a significant step forward in truly recognising the input the players have in the success of the US Open," ATP president Brad Drewett said in a statement.
"We also welcome the decision from the USTA to adopt a schedule with the men's semi-finals completed by Friday and the final on Sunday, from 2015 onwards."
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