Andy Murray played the longest match of his extensive career that started on January 19 and went into the early morning of Januray 20. The grueling five-setter against Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis lasted five hours and 45 minutes, and the clock struck past 4 in the morning as a shattered Kokkinakis waved a tearful goodbye and Andy Murray rejoiced in his hard-earned victory.

It is worth noting that all tennis tournaments are best-of-three sets, while the men’s Grand Slam events are played as best-of-five sets, which enhances the likelihood of long matches, such as that of Andy Murray and Thanasi Kokkinakis.

While the duo’s colleagues were appreciative of them for putting on a show, they were left flabbergasted by the Australian Open scheduling and criticized the Grand Slam rule book for such a farce, which affects not just the players, but also the ball-kids, umpires, and everyone involved.

18-time Grand Slam champion Martina Navratilova was greatly disappointed with the Australian Open and called for there to be a change in the sport.

Andy Murray himself was not pleased with the scheduling and spoke his mind.

Andy Murray’s brother Jamie echoed the sentiments.

Former Czech player Barbora Strycova voiced similar concerns and called the situation “disrespectful.”

Polish tennis player Magda Linette, who is scheduled for a late-night match at the Australian Open against Ekaterina Alexandrova in the Rod Laver on Saturday, January 21, agreed with her colleagues on the issue.

“That’s the nature of it, You have to deal with it” - Stefanos Tsitsipas and Jannik Sinner open up about Australian Open scheduling after Andy Murray match

While many from the tennis fraternity voiced their concerns about the 2023 Australian Open scheduling, Jannik Sinner and Stefanos Tsitsipas, who are set up for a Round 4 clash on Sunday, expressed that they had made peace with the situation.

Jannik Sinner is not new to the idea of a late-night finish. The Italian star, who left the court heartbroken at 2.50 am after a five-setter against rival Carlos Alcaraz at the 2022 US Open, stated that he wasn’t as bothered by the timing, although he would prefer early matches.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, meanwhile, had similar views on the scheduling.

The 24-year-old stated that such late night finishes are the ones that live in people’s memories forever.

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