US Open 2026: Eric Butorac and the Never-Ending Jigsaw Puzzle

I have followed tennis since my days as a track and field athlete, and I know the feeling of waiting for something beyond your control. But nothing compares to the job of Eric Butorac, the tournament director of the 2026 US Open, who is trying to solve a massive puzzle: how to schedule hundreds of matches, with hundreds of different requests, while ensuring fairness and meeting broadcast demands. As I sat in front of my screen, reading Butorac's insights, I remembered the first time I misspelled Nguyễn Thị Oanh's name. I learned that in sports, precision is not just a choice but a duty. Butorac, a former top-20 doubles player, is applying that same principle to scheduling. He calls it a 'jigsaw puzzle', an interesting comparison to the doubles strategy he once pursued. The truth is, scheduling at the US Open is not just about dividing matches across courts. It's a complex negotiation between multiple stakeholders: players, their teams, broadcasters, and fans. Butorac's primary criterion is fairness: players in the same section of the draw must play at roughly the same time, so no one is disadvantaged in terms of recovery time. This sounds simple, but when you have stars like Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, or even the Williams sisters, things get much more complicated. I remember my late-night call with Coach Thanh Huyền during the pandemic, when I asked her: 'If we don't compete, how do we live?' Her answer was quiet perseverance. Butorac is the same; he must listen patiently, but also be honest in his refusals. He says he prefers honest communication over making promises he can't keep. This reminds me of when I boldly messaged an Italian assistant coach via Instagram during Euro 2026. I learned that honesty and initiative are always key. However, there's a hidden corner that few see: the pressure from television. ESPN, which holds the US broadcast rights, has enormous influence over scheduling big matches in prime time. This sometimes means player requests are pushed aside. Does a player have the right to play during the day for better recovery, or must they sacrifice for the network's benefit? This is a question with no easy answer, and it creates constant tension. Another issue is the evening session schedule. Matches on Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong courts start at 7 p.m. and often end very late. This not only affects players' physical condition but also makes it difficult for fans commuting from Manhattan to Queens during rush hour. Butorac acknowledges this is a problem and is considering options like starting earlier, at 6 p.m., or staggering match times to avoid congestion. From the perspective of a former 800m runner, I understand that pacing is crucial. A dense schedule that ends late can exhaust players, like when I sprinted too early and had nothing left for the final 200m. Fatigue doesn't just affect on-court performance; it also increases the risk of injury. This is a major risk the organizers need to consider. The truth is, scheduling at the US Open is not just about dividing matches across courts. It's a complex negotiation between multiple stakeholders: players, their teams, broadcasters, and fans. Butorac's primary criterion is fairness: players in the same section of the draw must play at roughly the same time, so no one is disadvantaged in terms of recovery time. This sounds simple, but when you have stars like Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, or even the Williams sisters, things get much more complicated. I remember my late-night call with Coach Thanh Huyền during the pandemic, when I asked her: 'If we don't compete, how do we live?' Her answer was quiet perseverance. Butorac is the same; he must listen patiently, but also be honest in his refusals. He says he prefers honest communication over making promises he can't keep. This reminds me of when I boldly messaged an Italian assistant coach via Instagram during Euro 2026. I learned that honesty and initiative are always key. Another issue is the evening session schedule. Matches on Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong courts start at 7 p.m. and often end very late. This not only affects players' physical condition but also makes it difficult for fans commuting from Manhattan to Queens during rush hour. Butorac acknowledges this is a problem and is considering options like starting earlier, at 6 p.m., or staggering match times to avoid congestion. From the perspective of a former 800m runner, I understand that pacing is crucial. A dense schedule that ends late can exhaust players, like when I sprinted too early and had nothing left for the final 200m. Fatigue doesn't just affect on-court performance; it also increases the risk of injury. This is a major risk the organizers need to consider. The truth is, scheduling at the US Open is not just about dividing matches across courts. It's a complex negotiation between multiple stakeholders: players, their teams, broadcasters, and fans. Butorac's primary criterion is fairness: players in the same section of the draw must play at roughly the same time, so no one is disadvantaged in terms of recovery time. This sounds simple, but when you have stars like Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, or even the Williams sisters, things get much more complicated. I remember my late-night call with Coach Thanh Huyền during the pandemic, when I asked her: 'If we don't compete, how do we live?' Her answer was quiet perseverance. Butorac is the same; he must listen patiently, but also be honest in his refusals. He says he prefers honest communication over making promises he can't keep. This reminds me of when I boldly messaged an Italian assistant coach via Instagram during Euro 2026. I learned that honesty and initiative are always key. Another issue is the evening session schedule. Matches on Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong courts start at 7 p.m. and often end very late. This not only affects players' physical condition but also makes it difficult for fans commuting from Manhattan to Queens during rush hour. Butorac acknowledges this is a problem and is considering options like starting earlier, at 6 p.m., or staggering match times to avoid congestion. From the perspective of a former 800m runner, I understand that pacing is crucial. A dense schedule that ends late can exhaust players, like when I sprinted too early and had nothing left for the final 200m. Fatigue doesn't just affect on-court performance; it also increases the risk of injury. This is a major risk the organizers need to consider. We are talking about a system where fairness and commercial interests must always find a balance. Butorac, with his experience as a professional player, understands better than anyone the pressures players face. He is not just a tournament director, but also a friend, a listener. And in a world where the noise of media and money can drown out everything, that listening is invaluable. Can we expect a perfect solution? Perhaps not. But what we can expect is a transparent process, where every voice is heard, and where fairness is always prioritized. That is what Eric Butorac is trying to do, and it's a story worth following, not just this year but for many years to come.