Zzzzzzz: US Open tennis players take a nap before matches, especially late

NEW YORK — Many tennis players at the US Open agree: the benefits of a good nap should not be missed, especially before a night game.

Whether in a hotel, on one of the beds in the Player Quiet Room down the hall from the dressing rooms, or wherever else they can find a place to stretch out, these Grand Slam athletes appreciate the net benefit of getting extra sleep during the tournament this week and next.

“I get tired in the evenings, like everyone else, so I have to take a nap,” said Tatjana Maria, a 37-year-old mother of two from Germany who lost to defending champion Coco Gauff under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday night. “I have to rest basically all afternoon to be ready for the evening.”

She is not alone in a sport where the action can start between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. – and sometimes even later.

Many participants, regardless of their country, rank or age, are of the opinion that if you do NOT sleep, you lose.

“When I’m tired, I want to sleep, so I go to sleep. If I have the first match at 11 a.m., I may not have enough time. But for any other match, I probably take a nap of 10 or 15 minutes,” said Zhang Zhizhen, a 27-year-old who won a silver medal in mixed doubles for China at the Paris Olympics. “Sometimes I sleep for an hour or two in the afternoon.”

Of course, not everyone in tennis takes a nap, but those who don’t tend to be jealous of their colleagues who do.

“I see other players taking a nap and I think to myself, ‘I’d love to do that too.’ I’d love to relax like that,” said 25-year-old American and 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin. “But I get too excited before a match. There’s adrenaline and nervousness involved.”

Tommy Paul, a 27-year-old American who reached the semifinals at Melbourne Park last year, said his team is urging him to try. Unfortunately, Paul said, “I can’t sleep until it’s bedtime.” Clara Tauson, 21, a Dane currently ranked 67th in the world, is afraid to take a nap on a match day, she explained, “because then I don’t know if my brain will ever wake up again.”

Donna Vekic, a 26-year-old Croatian who reached the semifinals of Wimbledon in July and won a silver medal at the Summer Olympics this month, nods off only when she feels “absolutely dead,” she says, because “when I take a nap, I just wake up in a bad mood.”

Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 US Open champion, has suggested a way to counteract this type of reaction: she drinks a shot of espresso just before lying down.

“The coffee doesn’t take full effect until 30 to 90 minutes later, so I wake up super refreshed after what is usually 25 minutes of sleep,” said the 24-year-old from Canada. “The power nap is the most effective.”

Casper Ruud – a three-time runner-up at majors, including at the US Open two years ago – rests his head on a pillow for an hour or two when he has to play on the court in the later half of the day.

His optimal time for extra sleep is “usually after breakfast,” he said. The 25-year-old Norwegian gets up around noon and heads to the showgrounds. He always takes his nap in his hotel.

“When I get to the construction site,” said Ruud with a giggle, “I can’t sleep.”

Others appreciate the benefits of being able to doze off anytime, anywhere.

This can be done on a first-come, first-served basis in the designated area at Ashe—which was set up in 2022 and features three lounge chairs in a main room with a water feature that offers the kind of soothing sounds often found in a spa; four twin beds in an adjoining room where the lighting is appropriately dimmed; and four chaise lounges in another—or a spot not necessarily designed for nodding off.

“I’ve been in some weird places. I’ve been in locker rooms where there wasn’t really a couch and you had to somehow make a couch,” said Denis Shapovalov, a 25-year-old Canadian who reached the semifinals of Wimbledon in 2021. “I’ve done it in (tournament) restaurants. I’ve done it on the floor in a gym. You (take a nap) wherever you can find space.”

Leylah Fernandez, finalist of the 2021 US Open, is also not picky about her nap.

“I’m lucky that I can sleep practically anywhere,” said 21-year-old Fernandez. “It’s kind of my little hidden talent.”

And during a match? Nick Kyrgios has to show that it is possible.

The 2022 Wimbledon runner-up, who missed almost all of the last two seasons due to injuries and appears on ESPN during coverage of the US Open, leaned far back in his sideline chair during end-changes during his match against Andy Murray in New York in 2015, closed his eyes and clutched a towel as if it were a blanket.

“I guess I’ll just take a nap,” Kyrgios said that day. “It’ll feel good.”

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Howard Fendrich has been the AP’s tennis writer since 2002. You can find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich

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