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As an exhausted Andy Murray tried to mix sleep with treatment, Australian Open boss Craig Tiley defended scheduling that could have ruined his tournament chances.
Murray was due to go again on Saturday at 8am UK time, 7pm Australian time in the third round, facing the notoriously solid Spanish point guard Roberto Bautista Agut. He comes off a 4:05 am finish in the previous round that he described as a sham.
Tiley said he would be prepared to introduce a time limit for matches, but the idea met with resistance when players were consulted.
Andy Murray is set for another late finish when he takes on Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut
“If the players want a curfew, we can play with a curfew, we would like that,” said the tournament director. “But the feedback we get from players is ‘we don’t want to stop the game we’re playing’, almost 100 percent say they want to finish whatever game they’re playing.
‘They understand stopping the match when it rains, but I imagine a situation where a player comes back from two sets down, it’s 3-3 in the fifth.
“I would like to see you go out on the court and tell the players that they have to go out.”
Wimbledon is now the only Grand Slam not to have an official night session. In the case of the Australian Open, two matches are scheduled in the first week starting at 7:00 p.m.
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley defended the tournament’s scheduling.
Tiley is one of the most innovative thinkers in the sport and would like to reduce the danger of finishing early in the morning, for example by abolishing net laces and reducing warm-ups.
However, players are notoriously resistant to change and tennis is still a long way from changing the scoring system to make match times more predictable.
“It’s not ideal to play that late, if it’s something we can avoid we would, but we can’t predict the length of the game,” Tiley said. ‘Remember that they automatically have the next day off in a situation like that and they regroup.
“We must not forget that it was a great match, one of the most memorable played at the Australian Open and that is why we love Andy.”
Murray only slept fitfully in the hours after his thrilling victory over Thanasi Kokkinakis
Murray felt well enough on Friday to have a 20-minute hit early in the evening in between his naps and massages.
He only slept fitfully in the hours after his thrilling victory over Thanasi Kokkinakis via adrenaline rush and consumption of energy products.
Bautista Agut is an expert grinder and one of the last people anyone would want to face after 10 hours and 34 minutes into the first two rounds.
It was the now world number 25 who was Murray’s opponent in 2019 when the Scotsman announced he felt the end of his career was near in Melbourne.
On a highly emotional night, Murray made what appeared to be a last stand, staying there for four hours and nine minutes before the Spaniard prevailed in five sets.
Once again, Murray will be the sentimental favorite of the public on Saturday. “It was like a Davis Cup atmosphere,” recalled Bautista Agut. “It was very loud, very crowded, a lot of people supporting him, I think the whole stadium.”
What followed was that Murray chose to insert a metal cap on his hip in late January 2019.
Bautista Agut praised Murray, stating that his opponent is in good shape and winning games.
“I’m happy for him because he’s in good shape, he’s winning good games and he’s enjoying himself on the pitch again,” added Bautista Agut. He looks fit. He is a good fighter. He loves the game and is a great tennis player.
By backing up his victory against Matteo Berrettini with the epic victory over Kokkinakis, Murray once again defied the odds.
“What has happened to get back to this level is quite remarkable. He is just an incredible fighter and his resilience is second to none,” his mother Judy, who watched from the stands until 4am on Thursday, told Channel Nine Australia. ‘He’s certainly getting money’s worth from him, isn’t he?’
Murray was involved in an epic encounter with Kokkinakis that went on until 4:05 a.m.
If Murray made it through, then his quarter of the draw is noticeably wide open due to seed scatter. Bautista Agut is the highest ranked player left in that section, although he is a tough nut to crack.
In the previous round he needed five sets to beat American qualifier Brandon Holt.
However, for that he was on the court less than three hours, which hopefully will be a telling factor when he meets the great survivor.
Andy Murray v Roberto Bautista Agut, LIVE on Eurosport, approximately 8am