Andy Murray says finishing his second round match at the Australian Open at 4am was a “farce”.
The 35-year-old’s tough five-set victory over local favorite Thanasi Kokkinakis lasted five hours and 45 minutes.
This followed Murray’s first-round victory on Tuesday, when the Briton victory sealed in four hours 49 minutes against the Italian Matteo Berrettini.
“I don’t know who (the late finish) benefits,” Murray said at Rod Laver Arena after the game.
“We come here after the match and that’s the point of the discussion, rather than it being like an ‘epic Murray-Kokkinakis match’. It ends up being a bit of a farce.
“Surprisingly, people stayed until the end, and I really appreciate people doing that and creating an atmosphere for us. Some people obviously have to work the next day and everything.”
Murray was two sets behind and appeared to be bowing out of contention before digging deep to defeat Kokkinakis, 26, ranked 159th in the world, 4-6 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-5) 6- 3 7-5.
He will face Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, 24th seed, in the third round.
The noisy fans inside the venue were treated to a fine show from both players – even though it was nearing six hours – but Murray also highlighted another problem with matches being too long.
“If my kid was a ball kid at a tournament and he comes home at five in the morning, as a parent, I blame that. It’s not beneficial for him.” , declared the three-time Grand Slam winner.
“It’s not good for the referees, the officials. I don’t think it’s amazing for the fans. It’s not good for the players.”
The start time of the game, 10:20 p.m., was also an issue, according to Murray.
“We talk about it all the time, and we’ve been talking about it for years,” said the Scot. “But when you start games late and you have (cold) conditions like that, these things are going to happen.”
Tournament director Craig Tiley said Friday there was no need to change the schedule “at this point,” pointing to rain and extreme heat that delayed play earlier in the week.
“We will always think about it when we organize the tournament, as we do every year,” Tiley told Australian broadcaster Channel Nine.
“It was an epic match and when you schedule a match like that just before 10 p.m. at night, you don’t expect it to last close to six hours.”
“We can’t let players compete until the wee hours of the morning”
Jamie Murray must have seen his younger brother’s frustration boil over onto the court as Andy asked him why he and Kokkinakis were “still playing at 3am” after the Scot lost a point.
The older Murray, 36, who is playing in the men’s doubles at the tournament, wrote: “It’s time for tennis to move to single-match Grand Slam night sessions.
“This is the best result for ALL singles players.
“We can’t keep seeing players compete until the wee hours of the morning. It’s crap for everyone involved – players/fans/event staff, etc.”
Jamie Murray’s thoughts were echoed by 18-time Grand Slam singles champion Martina Navratilova, who wrote that the sport must find alternative solutions.
“It is essential that we create better rules in tennis regarding weather (light and wind) and start times or cutoff times of matches,” the 66-year-old said.
“Murray and Kokkinakis will finish around 4 a.m. It’s crazy, no other sport does that.”
The issue of playing hours and late night tennis is a subject that Andy Murray has raised before.
During Great Britain’s Davis Cup defeat to the United States last year, the former world number one was on court with doubles partner Joe Salisbury. until 01:00 GMT.
“It’s something that tennis needs to think about a little bit,” Murray said then. “I don’t think it looks that professional.”
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