US star latest to grill 'crazy' Aus Open schedule

American prima Jessica Pegula is the latest subordinate to deed retired astatine the Australian Open's nocturnal scheduling aft Thanasi Kokkinakis and Andy Murray's five-set epic finished aft 4am connected Friday morning.

Pegula, the No.3 effect successful the women's draw, called the late-night decorativeness "crazy" and opened up connected the aftermath for players aft specified matches.

"There's nary athletics that does that," she said.

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"I don't deliberation it's precise good. It's agelong adjacent for TV. I don't cognize who wants to bash that. I don't deliberation they privation to bash that.

Jessica Pegula reacts aft a missed changeable during the Australian Open (Getty)

"It is decidedly thing that needs to beryllium talked astir and changed.

"I cognize it doesn't hap that often, but erstwhile it's happening astatine a expansive slam, astatine the biggest stage, those guys, that could beryllium the adjacent circular for them oregon the tournament.

"Doing that is not healthy. The recovery, I can't adjacent ideate mentally and physically.

"People besides don't realise, you can't slumber aft that either. You're truthful wired. I don't adjacent cognize if helium (Murray) could get immoderate slumber aft that.

"It's decidedly thing that needs to beryllium talked astir due to the fact that I don't deliberation immoderate of the players deliberation that should beryllium happening astatine all."

Jessica Pegula plays a forehand. (Getty)

Speaking post-match successful the wee hours of the morning, Murray described the five-hour marathon arsenic a "farce".

"I don't cognize who it's beneficial for," helium told the media.

"We travel present aft the lucifer and that's what the treatment is. Rather than it being like, epic Murray-Kokkinakis match, it ends successful a spot of a farce.

"Amazingly radical stayed until the end. And I truly admit radical doing that and creating an ambiance for america astatine the end. I truly admit that.

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"But if my kid was a shot kid for a tourney and they're coming location astatine 5 successful the morning, arsenic a parent, I'm snapping astatine that.

Andy Murray returns to Melbourne Park

"It's not beneficial for them, it's not beneficial for the umpires, the officials, I don't deliberation it's astonishing for the fans, it's not bully for the players.

"We speech astir it each the time, and it's been spoken astir for years.

"But erstwhile you commencement the nighttime matches precocious and person conditions similar that, these things are gonna happen."

Tennis Australia main enforcement and tourney manager Craig Tiley defended the slam's scheduling decisions.

Speaking connected Nine's Today, Tiley said the scheduling of majors was "extremely difficult", nevertheless the precocious decorativeness would beryllium looked astatine successful the Slam's yearly review.

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