Murray lost a set score 1-3 (1-6 7-6<9-7> 3-6 4- 6) and ended the tournament by kneeling.
In the 3rd round of singles held on the same day, Djokovic defeated Grigor Dimitrov (32nd, Bulgaria, 28th) 3-0 (7-6 <9-7> 6-3 6-4) to advance to the 4th round. He faces world number 24 Alex de Minnow (24, Australia) in the round of 16 on the 23rd.
However, what really became a hot topic that day was the issue of organizing the matches on the night of the Australian Open. Earlier, in the second round of the singles held on the 19th, after a bloody battle of 5 hours and 45 minutes, Murray lost 3 to 2 (4-6 6-7<4-7> 7-6< 7-5> 6-3 7-5) We had a come-from-behind victory.
The problem is that this game started around 10:20 PM. When the game ended, it was already the 20th, and the clock pointed to 4:05 in the morning. It was to the extent that the audience could be seen sleeping in the stands. The match’s broadcasters even described the match as ‘Midnight Madness’. Murray said after the match, “I don’t know who it was for. It is undesirable for the players, the fans, the referees, and the ball boys.” He then said, “Thank you to those who kept my seat, but I need to get some sleep soon.”
In the end, the training rhythm was twisted, and he failed to adjust his condition, and was eliminated from the 3rd round the following day. He seemed to be suffering from the aftermath of the ‘1 Night 2 Days’ marathon, with his movements noticeably slowing after his second set. After losing the third round, Murray expressed regret by repeating, “It’s not good for the players that the game ends at 4:00 in the morning.” 먹튀검증
Djokovic, who finished the third round on the day, gave strength to his head when asked about it. “It’s true that games that end at midnight or early morning are exciting for fans,” Djokovic said. “But for players like me, it’s painful. Even if you win, you have to stand on the court again. Isn’t sleep and life rhythm completely broken?” He continued, “In the end, it will be a matter for the TV broadcasters to decide at the time they want, but the opinions of the players are important.”
The Australian Open’s all-night problem has been constantly pointed out. In 2008, at the time of the third round, the match between Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) and Marcos Bagdatis (Cyprus) ended with Hewitt’s victory at 4:34 am after a bloody full set. Hewitt bowed his head in the ensuing round of 16, losing 0-3.
The Australian Open is classified into a ‘day session’ starting at 9:00 am and a ‘night session’ starting at 5:00 pm. The problem is that when two or three games are usually assigned to the night session, the next game time is pushed back and adjusted according to the results of the previous game.
At the time of the second round, the game of hair started at 10:20 pm after a series of close matches in the previous games, and predicted a rough schedule in the first place. I couldn’t just give up the game just because I wanted to sleep, and the game ended at an unimaginable time as an all-time great match unfolded.
Still, Murray found hope in this competition. Murray once reigned as one of the ‘Big 4’ in men’s tennis, along with Roger Federer (Switzerland, retired), Rafael Nadal (Spain), and Djokovic. Suffering from numerous injuries, there were rumors of retirement, but he showed off his strength in this tournament and proved that he was still competitive. Murray said, “I feel like I gave everything I have for this tournament, so I have a lot of mixed feelings.” I am satisfied with my performance.”