The 2024
Australian Open organization introduced some changes to its schedule to avoid
repeating matches that end in the early morning hours. The tournament will take
place between January 14 and 28 in Melbourne. Last year, the organization faced
criticism, particularly for the
Andy Murray and Thanasi Kokkinakis match, where
the former world No. 1 made a comeback from two sets down in an epic match that
ended close to 4 am.
Organizations
grapple with the dilemma of finding schedules that accommodate players while
being more lucrative for television broadcasts and audience attendance, often
resulting in night schedules starting late to ensure the highest viewership.
Tournament
officials decided that this year, the Australian Open will start on Sunday,
extending the event to a total of 15 days to prevent overly prolonged match
days. For the first time in its 118-year history, the Aussie Open will span 15
days. Additionally, first-round matches will take up the entire first three
days and include at least two matches in the night session, a departure from
the previous format of having at least three matches played during that time.
Controversy
in the Kokkinakis - Murray match
During last
year's second-round match between Murray and Kokkinakis, around 3 am, Andy
Murray requested a toilet break, but the umpire did not permit it: “I mean, do
you know something, I respect the rules,” said Murray.
The
frustration arose when the Briton forced a fifth set, but according to the
regulations, he couldn't request a toilet break as he had already used his
opportunity: “It’s so disrespectful that the tournament has us out here until
f***ing three or four o’clock in the morning and you are not allowed to go and
take a p***. It’s a joke, it’s a joke. You know it as well,” Murray said. “It’s
disrespectful to you, disrespectful to the ball children, disrespectful to the
players and we are not allowed to go to the toilet. Ridiculous!” 3-times Grand
Slam champion added.
Similarly,
former world No. 1 John McEnroe commented on the difficult situation that both
players experienced at that moment: "This happens rarely, but to me, they
should ensure that this doesn't happen. This is crazy to have players play to
this hour at this level with so much at stake," McEnroe said.
He added,
"To me, it's just absurd that the players are playing, it's going to be a
match people talk about, but it's also a match that greatly affects Andy's
chances of going deeper in the tournament."