27 December 2023 , 18:26
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The 2024 Australian Open will be the longest tournament in its 118-year history after organisers have changed it to a 15-day event to minimise ludicrously late finishes.
Night sessions stretching well into the early hours of the following day have become infamous in Melbourne. Whereas at Wimbledon, there is a curfew at 11pm in agreement with local officials, residents and tournament organisers, there is no such cut-off point Down Under.
The record for the latest finishing Grand Slam match happened there in 2008 when Lleyton Hewitt finally beat Marcos Baghdatis at 4:33am. Last year's event saw Andy Murray finally win against Thanasi Kokkinakis at 4:05 am after an almost six-hour-long second-round match.
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Afterwards, Murray complained about the match beginning at 10pm. "I don't know who it's beneficial for," he said at the post-match press conference. "We come here after the match, and that's what the discussion is, rather than it being like the epic Murray-Kokkinakis match. It ends in a bit of a farce."
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John McEnroe, working for Eurosport, went even further. "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," he said.
"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."
Murray eventually overcame Kokkinakis but had plenty to say about the Australian Open scheduling afterwards (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)He added: "There's got to be some type of cut-off point. Even then, there would be complaints about that as well - like why stop it at one in the morning if it's two sets to one and players would want to finish?
"At what time is the legitimate time to stop playing? But these things need to be addressed." The tournament's organisers now believe that they have addressed the issue.
“We’ve listened to feedback from the players and fans and are excited to deliver a solution to minimise late finishes while continuing to provide a fair and equitable schedule on the stadium courts,” Australian Open director Craig Tiley has said. “The additional day will achieve this, benefiting scheduling for fans and players alike.
The first round will now be played over three days instead of two, also giving fans an extra day of unbelievable tennis, entertainment, food and family fun.
“Every year, our team works hard to bring fans an event that feels new and exciting, and this is another opportunity to grow what is already the biggest annual sporting event in the world in January.” The event will now start on Sunday, January 14.
There are also changes to the minimum number of matches during day sessions at Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena. Instead of the previous three, only a guaranteed two will happen in the evenings if they are to last particularly long.