LATE FINISH PUTS EPIC SHOWDOWN IN THE SHADE
AUSTRALIAN Open chief Craig Tiley insisted on Friday there was “no need” to alter scheduling at the tournament despite stinging criticism after the second-latest finish at a grand slam yet.
Home hope Thanasi Kokkinakis went down in a five-set epic against veteran Andy Murray that ended at 4.05am on Friday, with Murray afterwards calling the early conclusion “a bit of a farce”.
“I don’t know who it’s beneficial for,” the 35-year-old Briton said after the five hours and 45 minutes spectacle, the longest of his career.
“A match like that, we come here after the match, and that’s what the discussion is. Rather than it being, like, ‘epic Murray-Kokkinakis match’, it ends in a bit of a farce.”
Tennis great Martina Navratilova tweeted: “It is essential we create better rules in tennis regarding the weather (light and wind), and starting times or cut-off times for matches. Murray and Kokkinakis will finish around 4am. Crazy – no other sport does this.”
Murray’s brother Jamie, a doubles specialist who is also playing at Melbourne Park, joined the criticism, saying it was time to have just one match in night sessions at grand slams.
“This is the best outcome for all singles players,” Jamie tweeted. “We can’t continue to have players compete into the wee hours of the morning. Rubbish for everyone involved – players/fans/event staff etc.”
But Tiley said it was part and parcel of the opening grand slam of the year – whose scheduling this year has been disrupted by intense heat and rain – and it did not happen often.
“You would expect from 7pm to 12pm (the evening session) in that five-hour window, you would get two matches,” he said.
“We also have to protect the matches. If you put one match at night and there’s an injury, you don’t have anything for fans or broadcasters.
“At this point there is no need to alter the schedule.
“We always look at it when we do the debrief like we do every year, we’ve had long matches before, at this point we’ve got to fit the matches into the 14 days, so you don’t have many options.”
In front of a raucous but weary Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne, Murray finally prevailed 4-6 6-7 (4/7) 7-6 (7/5) 6-3 7-5.
While he praised the fans who stayed until the end, he raised concerns about the ball kids.
“If my child was a ball kid for a tournament, they’re coming home at five in the morning, as a parent, I’m snapping at that,” said the Scot, himself a dad.
“It’s not beneficial for them. It’s not beneficial for the umpires, the officials. I don’t think it’s amazing for the fans. It’s not good for the players.”