Andy joy at bid to axe 4am finishes
ANDY MURRAY is planning on being kinder to himself this season — and is looking forward to kinder scheduling too!
The man who was forced to play until gone 4am at last year’s Australian Open is welcoming moves to reduce some of the early-hours finishes seen in recent years.
The tennis authorities have finally woken up to the fact that it is not sensible for anyone for play to go on well after midnight.
So in Melbourne this year, the show courts will have a reduced day-time programme to prevent them from over-running into the night session, which is what happened to Murray 12 months ago.
The Scot’s battling five-set secondround victory over Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis last year finished at a ludicrous 4.05am.
‘It is really good because we’ve spoken about it and I’ve heard lots of players in the media discussing it for a long time and it just makes sense,’ said Murray. ‘It’s a very obvious thing that needs to change. I haven’t heard anyone really disagree with that. ‘Primarily I think about it from a player’s perspective and it will definitely help with recovery for the following day’s matches.
‘For fans and the tournament, it just looks a wee bit more professional if you’re not finishing at three or four in the morning.’
Tentative measures to try to stop matches beginning after 10.30pm will not, however, address the everextending length of matches on both the men’s and women’s tours. That has been a major contributing factor to some tennis going well past midnight, which has already been seen this season at tournaments Down Under.
As Murray prepares for his first round against the tough Argentinian 30th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry, he has resolved to try to be calmer on court and curb the frustrations which have dogged him into his mid-30s. Having admitted his struggles to match former glories were getting him down last season, he is attempting to limit his expectations — to a point. ‘I feel I’m enjoying it better. Part of that is obviously the mental side of it. Tennis is a difficult game and you’re out there on your own. Reframing the way you look at things definitely helps. ‘But I won’t be out there giggling on the court, it’s more about how you’re dealing with frustration. I don’t see Novak out there laughing and joking around. I never saw that with Roger and Rafa.
‘It’s probably how you are treating yourself in those moments and being a bit kinder to yourself.
‘When I was younger, I found I got frustrated on court but I always felt like in the really important moments I was competing very well.
‘Last year I was getting frustrated and not competing well in the important moments and that’s something I hope to change this year.’
Murray’s expectations next week should probably not extend beyond making the third round again, as his scheduled opponent at that stage would be Novak Djokovic.
If a British man is to make the second week, the more likely would be Cam Norrie, who is in one of the weaker parts of the draw, or Jack Draper.
The 21-year-old southpaw was this morning due to be playing in the final of the Adelaide International against Czech world No 32 Jiri Lehecka. He confirmed his fine early-season form by defeating Kazakh Alexander Bublik in the semi-final 7-6, 6-4.