Australian Open 2023: Why does tennis finish so late? And what's the impact on players?

Murray yet bushed Kokkinakis astatine 4:05am successful what is the 3rd latest decorativeness for a men's lucifer successful history

A "farce" is however Andy Murray described his 4am decorativeness astatine the Australian Open and precise fewer radical - if anybody - disagreed.

"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," said the British erstwhile satellite fig one.

But wherefore bash specified precocious finishes hap successful tennis - and however does it interaction the players?

• 'A farce' - Murray connected 4am decorativeness to match
• Murray inactive doing himself 'justice' astatine Grand Slams

The effect of sacrificing sleep

After losing his adjacent lucifer to Roberto Bautista Agut connected Saturday, Murray revealed helium had lone managed 3 hours' slumber betwixt 6am and 9am connected Friday morning.

"I'm definite if you spoke to immoderate slumber experts and sports scientists they would archer you slumber is the fig 1 astir important thing," helium said.

Tennis players are often expected to beryllium 'on' astatine each times, which could mean sacrificing sleep. However, slumber adept James Wilson rejects that.

"The thought that mediocre slumber leads to occurrence is outdated, incorrect and leads to radical becoming ill," said Wilson, who works with a fig of Premier League clubs.

"For organisers not to person a cut-off constituent - not conscionable for Andy Murray but for coaches, journalists, spectators, shot boys and girls - is simply a machismo cognition to sleep.

"It is unnecessary for it to spell connected until that time. It is simply a reflection of however overmuch enactment we person got to bash to get slumber taken earnestly successful a high-performance environment."

Kokkinakis and Murray did not permission Melbourne Park until astir 5am

Three-time large champion Murray was backmost astatine Melbourne Park astir 11am connected Friday to person "seven oregon eight" blisters connected his feet drained.

He past went for a fewer hours' slumber and had a airy deed earlier returning to tribunal 39 hours aboriginal to play Bautista Agut.

"This is simply a signifier of pitchy lag wrong an lawsuit and it is wholly unnecessary," Wilson added.

"Murray's assemblage timepiece would person been retired of sync, helium doesn't cognize if helium should beryllium sleeping oregon shouldn't."

What changes could beryllium made?

The Australian Open puts 5 singles matches connected the 2 main amusement courts during the opening six days - 3 matches during the time league from 11am, and 2 matches from 7pm for the nighttime session.

If the time matches are long, past the nighttime matches volition beryllium enactment back, with abstracted ticketing for the 2 sessions. Murray's lucifer against Kokkinakis did not commencement until 22:20 section time.

"I deliberation the US Open went to playing 2 matches successful the time session. That would halt the time matches moving into the nighttime league starting excessively late," Murray said.

"You'd inactive get prime matches during the day. The radical who bought crushed passes would get to spot much of the apical players, which would beryllium fantabulous for them.

"If you did that, you could besides perchance bring the nighttime sessions somewhat earlier. Those fewer hours, tin marque a quality to the players."

Who benefits from these precocious finishes?

When Murray yet bushed Kokkinakis, determination were lone a fewer 100 hardy souls near successful the stands.

The lucifer was being shown unrecorded connected Australian tv broadcaster Channel Nine, who signed a caller five-year woody worthy A$425m (£240m) to amusement the tourney crossed the big federation betwixt 2025 and 2029.

About 482,000 tuned successful to Murray's triumph implicit Kokkinakis connected Thursday night, according to Australian media expert Mediaweek.

The viewing figures amusement determination were 110,000 fans who watched immoderate portion of the lucifer aft 02:00 connected Friday, portion determination was an assemblage of 32,000 astatine 04:00 - compared with 1,000 viewers 24 hours before.

In the UK, which is 11 hours down Melbourne, the timing was overmuch much beneficial. BBC Sport's unrecorded page, which houses substance and vigor commentaries, had 4.2m views crossed the website and app.

Novak Djokovic, the nine-time men's champion successful Melbourne, agreed with Murray that the precocious finishes were excessively gruelling, adding the "players' input is ever important for tourney organisation".

But helium warned: "We cognize that it's not decisive due to the fact that it comes down to what the TV broadcasters privation to have. That's the eventual determination maker."

But is determination an appetite to alteration it?

As good arsenic Murray's thought to lone enactment connected 2 time matches, different proposition has been to play conscionable 1 lucifer successful the nighttime session.

But Australian Open tourney manager Craig Tiley said connected Friday determination was "no need" to alteration the scheduling "at this point".

"You would expect from 7pm to 12am, successful that five-hour window, you would get 2 matches," Tiley told Channel Nine.

"We besides person to support the matches. If you conscionable enactment 1 lucifer astatine nighttime and there's an injury, you don't person thing for fans oregon broadcasters."

Another proposition has been to bring successful a curfew specified arsenic that astatine Wimbledon, wherever play cannot spell connected past 23:00.

Jamie Murray - a seven-time large doubles champion and Andy's older member - is not truthful sure.

"I deliberation determination are different ways astir it," helium said.

"It helps if they person conscionable 1 nighttime lucifer that starts astatine 7pm. Then they tin interest astir if idiosyncratic gets injured."

Tiley besides pointed to the unpredictability of Melbourne's upwind for making changes difficult.

On Tuesday, matches were delayed due to the fact that of utmost vigor aboriginal successful the day earlier being suspended successful the evening due to the fact that of torrential rain.

"We ever look astatine it erstwhile we bash the debrief. We've got to acceptable the matches successful the 14 days truthful you don't person galore options," helium said.

American satellite fig 3 Jessica Pegula, who is connected WTA Players' Council, said the 4am decorativeness was the main talking constituent among players.

"It is ridiculous to beryllium asking radical to beryllium determination astatine that time," she told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"I decidedly deliberation it needs to alteration and it is thing we privation to discuss, but [it] besides has to travel from the men's side. I'm definite we volition speech astir it."

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