Andy Murray has slammed the Australian Open for its late-night finishes and weird rules, which are followed at all Grand Slams.
Following his sensational win against Thanasi Kokkinakis, Murray expressed his frustration with the tournament's schedule, which often sees matches finishing well past midnight. The match between the Australian and former world no. 1 ended at 4am, and the Scot talked about the issue already during one of the changeovers, when he talked to the umpire.
“I mean, do you know something, I respect the rules. [But], it’s so disrespectful that the tournament has us out here until f***ing three or four o’clock in the morning and you are not allowed to go and take a p***. It’s a joke, it’s a joke. You know it as well. It’s disrespectful to you, disrespectful to the ball children, disrespectful to the players and we are not allowed to go to the toilet. Ridiculous!”
He was not satisfied with the rule, that allows players to use toilet only once per match, even if it lasts almost six hours. At the press conference after the match, the former world no. 1 spoke even more about the issue, when he said:
"Finishing at 4am isn't idea. I don't know who it's beneficial for. A match like that, yeah, we come here after the match, and that's what discussion is. Rather than it being like epic Murray-Kokkinakis match, it ends in a bit of a farce."
"Amazingly, people stayed until the end. I really appreciate people doing that, creating an atmosphere for us at the end. I really appreciate that. Some people need to work the following day and everything."
"If my child was a ball kid for a tournament, they're coming home at 5 in the morning, as a parent, I'm snapping at that. It's not beneficial for them. It's not beneficial for the umpires, the officials. I don't think it's amazing for the fans. It's not good for the players."
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