Australian Open 2024: Tim Henman Raises Concerns Over Schedule Due to Early Morning Finishes – ‘This Can’t Continue’

Tim Henman has expressed dissatisfaction with the scheduling of the Australian Open, particularly criticizing the early morning finishes, and he believes that the current situation is unsustainable. The quarter-final match between Jannik Sinner and Andrey Rublev, which started late due to Novak Djokovic’s lengthy game against Taylor Fritz, concluded at 01:20 local time in Melbourne. Although Sinner managed to win in three sets and advance to the semi-final quickly, other players have faced less favorable circumstances.

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For instance, Daniil Medvedev’s second-round match against Emil Ruusuvuori went the distance and ended at 03:45 local time. Henman, an expert on Eurosport, pointed out that changes are needed. He suggested that starting the day session earlier could have prevented the delay in the night session’s commencement after Sinner’s match.

“In the case of those matches ending in straight sets, the tournament and players were fortunate to conclude at 1:20 am. There was a possibility of finishing much later—2:20 or even 3:20 am—if those matches had extended. The tournament faces a dilemma with the night session, aiming to sell tickets for two matches rather than just one. This presents a predicament: should the night session start earlier, perhaps at 6 pm, though this poses challenges with the host broadcasters,” Henman remarked.

He also raised the question of whether modifying equipment could expedite matches. Henman pondered, “Should we consider speeding up the balls and the courts to reduce the duration of rallies? I recall a semi-final between Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras—five sets in under three hours. Such quick matches are rare now, with sets often taking an hour each. Despite the tournament’s claims that starting on Sunday would benefit night sessions, it turned out to be untrue, leading to the first round being stretched over three days. Given the late finishes we’ve witnessed, like Medvedev ending at 03:45 am, something needs to be addressed. We can’t continue in this manner, acknowledging that matches are taking too long, as it is not beneficial for anyone.”

“The players, spectators, ball kids, line judges, and the tournament itself all face challenges due to the current scheduling issues. Hopefully, there will be a resolution to this ongoing problem,” expressed Mats Wilander, a fellow Eurosport expert. He highlighted the US Open as an example of how to address the issue, citing the specific timing of matches.

Explaining further, Wilander pointed out the potential difficulties faced by players, especially in men’s matches that finish late. He contrasted this with the US Open, where quarter-finals consistently start at noon, avoiding the late-night finish problem. He noted the impact on players’ rest and practice when they have to compete again the next day.

Wilander also questioned the belief that playing at night is always advantageous, as it can lead to situations like the one seen in the recent matches. Drawing a parallel with golf, he mentioned the common occurrence of adverse weather affecting players’ schedules and emphasized the unfairness to tennis players given the multitude of people involved.

Tim Henman chimed in, underscoring the uniqueness of tennis where the best players find themselves competing in top tournaments at 3 am. He expressed the sentiment that such late scheduling is not beneficial for anyone and stressed the need to address this issue that has been a topic of conversation over the years.