‘Starting at 11 p.m. is not healthy’: Medvedev’s late-night battle sparks debate at Australian Open

The clock at the Rod Laver Arena shows 3:39 a.m. when Daniil Medvedev (3rd ATP) plays the last point of his match against Emil Ruusuvuori (53rd). It is not an error. This is proof that scheduling a Grand Slam can be a very complex matter. With major draws, five-set matches and multiple categories, choosing match distribution can end up being a nightmare for the organization, players and fans.

This is not the first time that matches have stretched over long hours in a tournament of this type, but it is one of the most extreme. If we only refer to the Australian Open, Medvedev’s duel was the third that ended later . It is only surpassed by Murray vs. Kokkinakis (04:30) last year and the meeting between Leyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis (04:34) during the 2008 edition.

“If I was a fan, maybe I would have gone home and watched the game on TV. I would have watched for 30 minutes then fallen asleep “, explained the Russian after winning against a practically empty Rod Laver. In fact, most of the stadium’s 14,820 seats began to be vacated before midnight. After one in the morning, There were at most 2,000 people present. , with the upper supports completely free. Something reinforced by the surprising cold that hits Victoria.

Obviously, a series of factors have caused the day to be extended to these hours, given that only four matches are being played during the day at the premier stadium at Melbourne Park. The day started at 12:00 p.m. with Iga Swiatek (1st WTA), but after six matches the match had to be suspended to close the roof, as a bad weather front was attacking the city. After a break of about 20 minutes, a meeting that lasted three hours and 14 minutes resumed. Much more than the 90 minutes estimated by the organization in its initial programming.

A situation which then became even more complicated with another marathon match. Carlos Alcaraz (2nd) struggled to overtake Lorenzo Sonego (46th) and also exceeded three hours on the track, causing a considerable delay of the next match, scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Thursday was a day of suspense and Elena Rybakina (3rd) as well as Anna Blinkova (57th) did not want to be left out. They played almost three hours of play and achieved the longest tie-break in Grand Slam history. 42 points to eliminate the world number three and Wimbledon champion in 2022.

In this way Medvedev only started warming up at eleven o’clock in the evening . Two hours after what was estimated by the tournament in its initial schedule and almost five hours before they managed to force their way into the third round. There were five sets, where they had to come back in epic fashion against a Ruusuvuori who was two points away from eliminating one of the favorites.

At 4:00 a.m., the 2022 US Open champion appeared at a press conference and at 4:30 a.m., he posted a photo on his social media referring to the time he was still awake: “Very late,” he writes in the story where we see his Bovet 1822 watch.

All this generates unease among athletes, who demand greater respect for the health and recovery of tennis players. One of the most direct was Karen Khachanov (15th), consulted by El Deportivo on this subject at a press conference after her victory this Friday. “At the end of the day it’s television that decides, the players complain, but they need evening matches and that’s good for the public too, but sometimes There must be certain limits, especially when playing best of five sets, because the match can last more than five hours and if we start at eleven o’clock in the evening, that is not normal, it is not healthy for person. , to recover and prepare for the next match. You lose a whole night of sleep and to recover, sleep is one of the most important parts. In addition, you have to do recovery work, ice baths, so that you don’t sleep. How will you feel good after this,” Medvedev’s compatriot explained.

Regarding possible changes that could be made in the future, he also had words. “This is a question to consider, but I don’t think there’s much you can do other than schedule the night session a little earlier. , instead of 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m., but all tournaments are like that. “In New York, I finished a quarter-final with Nick Kyrgios at two in the morning, I fell asleep at 5 in the morning, I was totally destroyed the next day, I didn’t go to training because I got up at noon,” he added. .

Former American tennis player John Isner also addressed the subject by posting a bitter message on his social networks: “No one should play tennis at three thirty in the morning. “It looks like Looney Tunes” he said on the social network X, formerly Twitter.

Of course, not everyone thinks the same way, as Aryna Sabalenka (2nd) gave a completely opposite answer after their third round duel in Melbourne. “Medvedev’s match ended very late, but honestly I don’t know what to say. For me it’s better to finish the game than to play the next day because then you’ll have another match. I prefer to play, sleep what I can and prepare for the next day. . But of course, what happened with Daniil happened very late. I don’t know if they had the option to move the case to another court,” the two mentioned to the world.

Such situations divide tennis players, who highlight the television factor in these decisions. Of course, not all tournaments share this policy, since for example Wimbledon has taken the decision, in agreement with residents of the area, not to authorize matches after 11:00 p.m. . The ATP, for its part, also promised to reduce the number of matches until midnight. In Australia, New York and Paris the situation is different, because there are no limits to this problem.