Australian Open 2023: Novak Djokovic said on Saturday that Australian Open organisers should take player input into account when scheduling matches, adding that late night clashes are “gruelling” for players. Follow Australian Open Live Updates with InsideSport.IN.
Andy Murray slammed officials as his epic five-set win over Thanasi Kokkinakis finished after 4 a.m. on Friday (1700 GMT on Thursday), well beyond the usual Grand Slam midnight madness.
Australia Open Results: Marathon man Andy Murray runs out of steam against Bautista Agut
Australian Open 2023: Djokovic backs up Murray’s concerns over ‘gruelling’ schedule
2 days ago I randomly bumped into the doctor who in 2017 told me “the good news is the problem you have in your hip can be fixed but you won’t be able to play professional sport again.” I think we dispelled that myth the last 5 days.😉Goodnight ❤️
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) January 21, 2023
Following his elimination from the tournament at the hands of Roberto Bautista Agut in the third round on Saturday, the Scot again criticised the scheduling, saying, “finishing matches at 4 in the morning isn’t good for the players.”
When asked for his opinion on Murray’s comments, nine-times champion Djokovic told reporters: “I think that players’ input is always important for tournament organisation.
Australian Open 2023: Djokovic backs up Murray’s concerns over ‘gruelling’ schedule
“We know that it’s not (decisive) because it comes down to what the TV broadcasters want to have. That’s the ultimate decision maker,” added the Serbian after his 7-6(7) 6-3 6-4 victory over Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov on Saturday.
“I would agree with his (Murray’s) points… For the crowd, it’s entertaining, it’s exciting, to have matches (end at) midnight, 1, 2, 3 am. For us, it’s really gruelling. “Even if you go through and win, prevail in these kind of matches, you still have to come back.
“You have your sleeping cycle, rhythm disrupted completely, not enough time really to recover for another five-setter. Yeah, something needs to be addressed I guess in terms of the schedule after what we’ve seen this year.” Djokovic next faces Australian Alex de Minaur in the fourth round on Monday.
Australian Open 2023: Djokovic backs up Murray’s concerns over ‘gruelling’ schedule
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