Australian Open boss Craig Tiley says he would be open to introducing a cut-off time for matches that spill into the early hours of the morning. The comments follow Andy Murray's epic battle with Thanasi Kokkinakis overnight
The extraordinary five-hour, 45-minute marathon between Andy Murray and Australia’s Thanasi KokkinakisIt was the second-latest finish in tournament history, behind only the momentous five-set encounter between former world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt and Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis in 2008 that lasted until 4.34am.
Wimbledon has long had an 11pm curfew in place, which so far has not changed with the installation of a roof, but operates differently to the Melbourne Park grand slam, given it has one session across the entire day instead of breaking them into day and night.But Tiley said his feedback indicated that players would prefer to continue rather than resuming the next day and cutting into their preparation for the winner’s next match.
“But if you had a cut-off time, let’s say for argument’s sake, at 1am or 2am, and they were four-all in the fifth set [it would not be right to stop]. “I think tennis likes these kinds of matches because there’s a great story behind this match, and it’s going to be remembered. I do remember very vividly the match that Baghdatis played with Hewitt. It is definitely a very magical moment.”
But Tiley rejected that proposal, saying there was a greater risk of a lopsided match ending quickly, or a mid-match retirement, than an almost-six-hour epic, which would leave fans short-changed.
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