Exclusive: 'Not fair for players' - Boris Becker backs Andy Murray over ‘disrespectful’ comment at Australian Open
:focal(178x132:180x130)/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2023/04/03/3673848-74785904-310-310.jpg)
Updated 20/01/2023 at 17:37 GMT
Britain’s Andy Murray branded the scheduling of his second-round match against Thanasi Kokkinakis as “disrespectful” and “ridiculous” with the pair’s match having begun at 22:20 local time in Melbourne and lasted over five hours. Tennis legend Boris Becker has told Eurosport that he agrees with those sentiments and that it was "not fair for players" to have to play at that hour.
‘Disrespectful, ridiculous!’ – Murray slams Australian Open rules as match goes past 3am
Eurosport expert Boris Becker has hailed Britain's Andy Murray as a "true champion" after his famous five-set victory over Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round of the Australian Open on Thursday.
At the end of an action-packed and very long day, the huge-hearted Murray roared back from two sets down to beat Kokkinakis in a marathon match that lasted five hours and 45 minutes and finished well beyond 4am in Melbourne - Murray called the scheduling "disrespectful” and ridiculous”.
It was Murray’s second five-set match of the 2023 Australian Open after he was also pushed the distance by Italy's Matteo Berrettini in the first round, meaning he has already come through two titanic battles.
It was also the longest match of Murray's career with the former world No. 1 having come so close to retiring at the Australian Open in 2019 and undergone two very serious hip surgeries in recent years.
For Becker, the result was both a reflection of Murray's "Scottish Braveheart spirit" but also an example of how Grand Slam rules can affect players late at night.
"Andy is a true champion," Becker told Eurosport Germany's Matchball Becker show as part of the Australian Open coverage.
"Sure, he won three Grand Slams and was the world No. 1 - but especially this Scottish Braveheart spirit, you can't learn. It's in his blood.
"He has always been an incredible fighter. After all these injuries, it is absolutely incredible what Murray has done here again."
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2023/01/20/3530853-71964233-2560-1440.jpg)
'Tough for him to sleep at all!' - Robson on Murray recovery after epic victory
On the big debate surrounding the decision to allow the match to continue into the night, with Murray denied a toilet break late on, Becker added: "The question is whether it makes sense to play that long. It is also a bit of a distortion of competition.
"Murray wins here at five minutes past four in the morning, then there is the cool down and the press conference. He won't get to the hotel before six or half-past six - and you can't even think of sleeping then.
"He may have a day off from playing, but his entire body rhythm is disrupted. In which sport do you play until four in the morning?
"That is not fair for the players who go on there. However, he has to make sure that the blood is running again, and that he starts sweating again.
"Of course, he is very tired the day after the match and his joints hurt. But he can't stay in bed until three or four o'clock in the afternoon because he might have to be back on the court tomorrow afternoon."
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2023/01/19/3530382-71954813-2560-1440.jpg)
'Why are we playing at 3am?!' - Murray furious as epic with Kokkinakis goes into morning
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley defended the current schedule after Murray's 4am finish.
"At this point there is no need to alter the schedule," Tiley said. "It was an epic match and, when you schedule a match like that just before 10 in the evening, you're not expecting it to go close to six hours.
"There is always one, and it is hard to schedule the entire event around the potential that happens one time. If you just put on one match at night and there's an injury, you don't have anything for fans or broadcasters."
- - -
Stream the 2023 Australian Open live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.co.uk
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
/images.sports.gracenote.com/images/lib/basic/geo/country/flag/large/4058.png)
/images.sports.gracenote.com/images/lib/basic/geo/country/flag/large/2229.png)