Australian Open 2023: 4am finishes in tennis a 'farce' says Andy Murray

Andy Murray says finishing his second-round lucifer astatine the Australian Open astatine 4am was a "farce".

That followed Murray's first-round triumph connected Tuesday, erstwhile the Briton sealed triumph successful 4 hours and 49 minutes against Italian Matteo Berrettini.

"I don't cognize who it's [the precocious finish] beneficial for," said Murray astatine the Rod Laver Arena aft the match.

"We travel present aft the lucifer and that's what the treatment is, alternatively than it being like, 'epic Murray-Kokkinakis match'. It ends successful a spot of a farce.

"Amazingly radical stayed until the end, and I truly admit radical doing that and creating an ambiance for us. Some radical evidently request to enactment the pursuing time and everything."

Murray was 2 sets down and looked to beryllium heading retired of the contention earlier digging heavy to decision 25-year-old Kokkinakis, who is ranked 159th successful the world, 4-6 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 7-5.

He volition look Spanish 24th effect Roberto Bautista Agut successful the 3rd round.

The rowdy fans wrong the venue were treated to a good spectacle from some players - contempt it approaching the six-hour people - but Murray besides highlighted different occupation with overly-long matches.

"If my kid was a shot kid for a tourney and they're coming location astatine 5 successful the morning, arsenic a parent, I'm snapping astatine that. It's not beneficial for them," said the three-time Slam winner.

"It's not beneficial for the umpires, the officials. I don't deliberation it's astonishing for the fans. It's not bully for the players."

The lucifer commencement clip of 22:20 was besides an issue, according to Murray.

"We speech astir it each the time, and it's been spoken astir for years," said the Scot. "But erstwhile you commencement the nighttime matches precocious and person [cold] conditions similar that, these things are going to happen."

Tournament manager Craig Tiley said connected Friday determination was nary request to alteration the docket "at this point", pointing to the rainfall and utmost vigor that delayed play earlier successful the week.

"We volition ever look astatine it erstwhile we bash the tourney similar we bash each year," Tiley told Channel Nine.

"It was an epic lucifer and erstwhile you docket a lucifer similar that conscionable earlier 10 p.m. successful the evening before, you're not expecting it to spell adjacent to six hours."

Andy Murray besides had to conflict with the location enactment for Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis during their epic lucifer connected Margaret Court Arena

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Players can't vie 'into the wee hours of the morning'

Jamie Murray had to ticker his younger brother's vexation boil implicit connected tribunal arsenic Andy asked wherefore helium and Kokkinakis were "still playing astatine 3am" aft the Scot mislaid a point.

Taking to Twitter, the older Murray, 36, who is taking portion successful the men's doubles astatine the tournament, wrote: "Time for tennis to determination to lone 1 one lucifer astatine the nighttime sessions astatine Grand Slams.

"This is the champion result for ALL singles players.

"We can't proceed to person players vie into the wee hours of the morning. Rubbish for everyone progressive - players/fans/event unit etc."

Jamie Murray's thoughts were echoed by 18-time Grand Slam singles champion Martina Navratilova, who wrote that the athletics needs to find alternate solutions.

"It is indispensable we make amended rules successful tennis regarding the upwind (light and wind) and starting times oregon cut-off times for matches," said the 66-year-old.

"Murray and Kokkinakis volition decorativeness astir 4am. Crazy - nary different athletics does this."

The contented of playing hours and precocious nighttime tennis is simply a taxable Andy Murray has raised before.

During Great Britain's Davis Cup decision by the United States past year, the erstwhile connection fig 1 was connected tribunal with doubles spouse Joe Salisbury until 01:00 GMT.

"It's thing that tennis needs to benignant of person a spot of a deliberation about," Murray said then. "I don't deliberation it looks that professional."

'We are seeing thing genuinely unthinkable with Murray'

The information that Murray has a metallic hep and is 10 years older than Kokkinakis makes his triumph successful Australia - the longest contention of his vocation - adjacent much mesmerising.

"His fittingness level astatine the infinitesimal is sublime," Amanda Owens, sports scientist and erstwhile tennis player, told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"To clasp aggravated focus, for implicit 5 hours and astir 46 minutes, is tremendous - and the resilience that Murray shows...

"That was seemingly his 11th lucifer that helium has travel backmost from 2 sets down and that shows however determined helium is and utilizing these experiences to triumph matches.

"People tin larn from this. It was perfectly incredible."

So, however connected world bash Murray and different apical professionals find a mode to flooded the tiredness and powerfulness themselves to victory?

"Mentally, it's astir believing and self-belief but besides knowing the processes and knowing you can bash it," says Owens. "Especially erstwhile you're nether unit astatine the captious point.

"That resilience grows with the magnitude of acquisition he's got with coming backmost from 2 sets down but it's thing that 1 tin larn - absolutely. And not conscionable successful sports, successful beingness arsenic well.

"But the determination and fortitude of Murray, I truly deliberation we are seeing thing genuinely unthinkable here."

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