Sunday start set to avert 'absurd' scheduling issues at 2024 Australian Open after heavy complaints from players

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.

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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.

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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.

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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."