14 January 2024 , 05:03
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John McEnroe got his wish for the 2024 Australian Open granted on the eve of the tournament's beginning.
The tennis legend had complained that the tournament forced matches to last too long, with the breaking point for the 64-year-old being Andy Murray's marathon against Thanasi Kokkinakis which lasted an astounding five hours, and 45 minutes.
"This happens rarely, but to me, they should ensure that this doesn't happen," McEnroe told Eurosport shortly after Murray's and Kokkinakis' battle. "This is crazy to have players play to this hour at this level with so much at stake. 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 chance of going deeper in the tournament. There's got to be some type of cut-off point.
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"Even then there would be complaints about that as well - like why stop it at one in the morning if it's two set 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."
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Though McEnroe wasn't the only critic of how the previous iterations of the Australian Open operated, he perhaps was one of the loudest. As such, Australian Open director Craig Tiley explained that in late December the 2024 Australian Open will begin one day earlier on January 14 to account for matches that last hours.
"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," Tiley said. "The additional day will achieve this, benefiting scheduling for fans and players alike.
John McEnroe got his wish, with the Australian Open extending the tournament to 15 days (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Laver Cup)"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."
With the additional day, multi-hour matches should be a thing of the past, which should allow players more flexibility and the ability to have a toilet break. That last point was something McEnroe took umbrage with, as he watched Murray and Kokkinakis' clash.
"At that hour and that length of match, if one of the guys wants to go to the bathroom, I don't care what the rules are at that point and I'm not even sure why he couldn't go. I don't understand what happened there," McEnroe continued. "I heard Andy mouthing off about it and it did seem crazy, especially given the fact that people are taking advantage all the time. So why in the hell after all that, at the time, would you not allow that to happen?"
Murray's battle with Kokkinakis in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open is the second-longest match in the tournament's history. The longest match in Australian Open history occurred in 2012, between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in the final.
The match lasted an astounding five hours and 53 minutes, with Djokovic beating Nadal 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5. With Tiley's admission, McEnroe and the rest of the tournament's detractors should be pleased with the change.