Truth about 4.34am epic that AO critics missed

1 year ago 50

A big of tennis legends person deed backmost astatine disapproval of the Australian Open's scheduling, describing precocious nighttime matches arsenic the quality of expansive slam tennis.

Pressure was heaped upon tourney organisers connected week 1 pursuing Andy Murray's marathon match-up with Thanasi Kokkinakis that ended soon aft 4am the adjacent morning, with Murray peculiarly critical.

The lucifer saw the 2nd latest expansive slam finish, lone beaten by the 4.34am decorativeness betwixt Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis successful the 3rd circular of the 2008 Australian Open.

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While admitting helium was frustrated astatine the time, Baghdatis called it a "privilege" to beryllium a portion of specified a historical match.

"I consciousness honoured, particularly playing a agelong lucifer similar that against Lleyton Hewitt," helium said.

"I retrieve waking up aft that lucifer and going to the edifice and radical were coming down for breakfast.

"It's an experience, thing you don't unrecorded each time and I lived it. That's however I instrumentality it and however it is successful my head.

"Of people it's pugnacious erstwhile you're connected circuit and particularly if you triumph that lucifer you privation to proceed connected the tournament, but it's unlucky erstwhile it happens. S--t happens."

Badghdatis stressed the value of not overreacting to uncommon occasions wherever an epic lucifer results successful a late-night finish.

"In the past 20 years, however galore times did it happen? Maybe 3 times? It's precise difficult," helium said.

Murray reflects connected mind-bending marathon

"I recognize the players are frustrated, particularly the ones that went done it due to the fact that I went done it and it was frustrating.

"But connected the different hand, erstwhile you speech to the tournaments and they explicate to you ... I deliberation they're doing the champion they can. It's precise hard to constituent fingers astatine somebody."

Australian fable Mark Philippoussis backed up Baghdatis' view, saying postponed oregon suspended matches could pb to the docket being clogged the pursuing day.

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"It's a hard call, I mean you're playing 5 hour, 45 infinitesimal matches, what tin you do?" helium said.

"You've got 2 athletes retired determination giving it their each and unluckily there's a lucifer aft it oregon they spell connected precocious and there's rainfall delays, there's heat, they're things we can't control.

"I recognize it's frustrating, but this is thing that has been astir since the commencement of tennis, it hasn't changed.

Todd Woodbridge defends 4am Aus Open finish: The Morning Serve Day 6

"You look astatine the different side, (if) you telephone disconnected the lucifer and travel backmost the adjacent day, what happens if they play 5 sets during the time and present they've got to travel backmost and treble it up and not person a time off? You tin look astatine it successful antithetic ways.

"It's ne'er casual to play matches similar this, it's ever going to hurt. You tin get it connected earlier, but by the clip you get these time matches done, you've got to get the time crowds retired and you've got to get the tribunal ready. It's ne'er an casual telephone for a tournament."

One antheral who has seen some sides of it is erstwhile satellite No.2 Tommy Haas, who is present the tourney manager astatine Indian Wells.

The German suggested that tournaments are ever looking for ways to easiness the load connected players successful presumption of precocious nighttime finishes.

"Even erstwhile I came on to Indian Wells we were looking astatine the aforesaid thing, talking astir it, having suggestions, seeing if we could alteration definite things, and I'm definite each tourney does the aforesaid thing," helium said.

"As a erstwhile player, you cognize that if you're scheduled for the 3rd lucifer oregon 4th lucifer of the time aft 11am and you're pursuing 2 ladies matches and a men's match, that means you could play astatine 2pm, that means you could play astatine 6.30pm, truthful you don't truly know.

"That's the quality and besides the pugnacious portion arsenic a tennis subordinate due to the fact that you don't cognize erstwhile you're going to spell connected the court."

The legends' comments travel Australian Open tourney manager Craig Tiley's defence of the schedule past week aft the Murray-Kokkinakis epic.

"There are truthful galore variables that spell into reasoning astir however you're going to marque it enactment each day," helium told Nine's Today.

"Over the past fewer days we person had utmost heat, we've had implicit 5 breaks of rain, we've had cold.

"It's Melbourne, but we don't often get those conditions successful specified a abbreviated play of time."

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