2023-10-03 09:10:09
Better distribution of encounters for more fairness between players. This is the objective of the organizers of the Australian Open who announced that the first Grand Slam tournament of the season will therefore start a day earlier, on a Sunday, from January 2024.
“We have listened to feedback from players and fans and are pleased to announce a solution to reduce late completions of matches,” said Tournament Director Craig Tiley. The extra day will help achieve this goal and provide better programming for fans and players. »
Last January, the match in the second round of the Australian Major between the British Andy Murray and the Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis, lasting 5h45, ended at 4:05am local time. The Briton, winner in five sets, said in the middle of the match: “Why are we playing at 3 a.m.? », provoking a debate around the scheduling of the tournament.
“It’s not good for the referees, the officials. I don’t think it’s great for the fans. It’s not good for the players,” said the Briton, former world number one, after this nighttime marathon in January. In addition, the organizers have noticed that the meetings have been getting longer in recent years in this tournament. These findings therefore led the organizers to add one more day. Like Roland Garros, the Australian Open will start on Sunday. The 2024 edition will take place from January 14 to 28.
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