"Tennis is the only sport that does this. I think it's crazy," said the legendary Martina Navratilova, responding to the US Open scheduling that sent Venus Williams and Sofia Kenin onto court after midnight in a match that finished at almost 2am. Tournament director Stacey Allaster defends the night sessions on the grounds of fan demand and the revenue from selling tickets twice over, while the players themselves point to serious health risks. Coco Gauff confirms that such a routine makes sleep impossible before 5am. The balance has been lost. Driven by a $2.04 billion contract with ESPN, this vast commercial machine squeezes every last drop from the players' physical resources, yet the newly formed player advisory council will still attempt to change the rules of the court in this unforgiving contest.