Super Saturday Is Super-Sized

The longest day in tennis got a little bit longer. Will Super Saturday turn into Sleepy Sunday?

An exhibition between John McEnroe and Boris Becker will be played after the women’s final at the U.S Open in New York, officials announced Wednesday. Earlier this year, the U.S. Tennis Assn. created a separate session for the women’s final, played Saturday of the final weekend. Previously, the final was shoehorned into a day session, sometimes between the men’s semifinals.

This move raised two issues. How about Sunday morning tennis? With the women’s final starting at 8 p.m. EDT, there is the possibility of the McEnroe-Becker match spilling past midnight. A long women’s final, plus the awards ceremony, could turn the Open into midnight madness.

The two aging legends will play a best-of-three-sets format, though the third will be a 10-point tiebreaker.

Another concern is whether the addition to the schedule shortchanges the women. But the WTA was consulted, and its officials agreed with the move.

“I thought it made sense and would make for a great evening,” said Bart McGuire, the WTA’s chief executive officer. “It will also provide protection for the tournament in case of injury or a short match.”

Or, when it comes to the WTA this year, no match. When Venus Williams withdrew about five minutes before her scheduled semifinal against her younger sister, Serena, at Indian Wells in March, organizers scrambled to come up with men’s doubles.

Also, McGuire didn’t think the men’s match would cut into interest in the women’s final.

Said Arlen Kantarian of the USTA: “This is an event that we all feel represents an opportunity to add some value for our fans and to our ticket-holders to bring more entertainment to the Open.”

McEnroe, 42, has been active on the senior circuit. His last appearance playing at a Grand Slam tournament was in mixed doubles with Steffi Graf at Wimbledon in 1999 and there have been rumors he may try the event again, at the U.S. Open. Becker, 33, said he has been training in Spain for about six weeks.