Australian Open Make Changes To 2024 Schedule After Criticism To 'Absurd' Rule

| by Nurein Ahmed

Australian Open tournament officials have instituted changes at next year's tournament to address a longstanding scheduling issue.

Last year, several people critiqued the disorganization in scheduling, which led to late-night finishes of tennis matches. Some of those laying their finger at the tournament included former ATP No. 1s, Andy Murray and John McEnroe.

The Briton played the longest match of his career at last year's Melbourne Slam, where he defeated home crowd favorite Thanasi Kokkinakis in a five-set dogfight in the second round that lasted five hours and 45 minutes and finished just minutes shy of the latest finish to a match at the Australian Open.

The clock ticked past 4 am local time when Murray fizzed the winning backhand shot down the line to bring the match to a close. After the match, Murray questioned who benefits from "ridiculously late" finishes to a tennis match.

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Clearly upset, Murray said at his post-match presser that it was a "farce" that such a high-quality spectacle was overshadowed by the discourse about scheduling when people should have been talking about the actual match.

Former player McEnroe, commenting as a pundit for Eurosport at the tournament, echoed Murray's words and called it "crazy" to have players out competing in the wee hours and said the tournament's decision-making is "absurd" regarding scheduling.

"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," McEnroe said.

He added, "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."

The tournament officials believe this ordeal will unlikely be replicated at the 2024 edition by introducing a Sunday start to the event, now set to kick off on January 14. It means the Australian Open will be a 15-day event for the first time in its 118-year history.

After considering feedback from players and fans, a Sunday start to a Grand Slam will increase the number of sessions on the Australian Open's main showpiece tennis courts, namely Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena, and John Cain Arena, from 47 to 52.

Additionally, first-round matches will last the full three days, with beneficial scheduling for all stakeholders. On Rod Laver and Margaret Court Arenas, at least two matches will be played during the day sessions instead of three, while night sessions will retain two primetime slots as usual.

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