According to Novak Djokovic, the Australian Open schedule is determined by broadcasters, as the Tuesday evening session was affected by late matches, despite two players winning in straight sets.
In the quarter-finals, Jannik Sinner defeated Andrey Rublev in a three-set match that lasted until almost 1:30am at Melbourne Park’s Rod Laver Arena. It was a lengthy evening for both players.
Following Djokovic’s triumph over Taylor Fritz, which lasted for nearly four hours and spilled over into the evening session, and Sabalenka’s two-set win against Barbora Krejčíková, Sinner and Fritz did not begin their match until around 11pm.
Fritz mentioned that participating in a late game followed by a day session in the next round can put one at a disadvantage.
“According to him, it disrupts your entire sleep cycle. If you have to switch and participate in afternoon games on other days, it completely throws off your sleep routine.”
Djokovic mentioned that he and Sinner will have two complete days to get ready for the semi-final, set for Friday. However, he expressed that finishing late is not the most ideal situation.
Following his match, which lasted a relatively quick two hours and 39 minutes, Sinner expressed his confidence in having ample time to recuperate.
The organizers have planned for the singles quarterfinals to begin one hour earlier on Wednesday compared to Tuesday in order to minimize the overlap of the day session and night session.
Djokovic expressed that scheduling is a contentious issue and proposed that tournament organizers consider reducing the number of matches on Rod Laver Arena or holding them in a continuous session.
However, he stated that ultimately, the schedule would be determined by television broadcasters.
“They are the individuals responsible for determining which player will be present at which session,” he stated.
Television networks hold the most influence. This is not surprising since they provide us with the opportunity to reach millions of people globally through their platforms, which is beneficial for us.
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“It is difficult to determine the optimal outcome in this situation.”
Sabalenka stated that organizers discussed the possibility of rescheduling the later matches with the players.
She mentioned the potential for one of our matches to be rescheduled, but we opted to wait and see how the Novak and Fritz match would unfold.
“If the duration is excessive, we had previously discussed the option of rescheduling. However, since Novak won the third and fourth sets, we proceeded with the match as planned.”
The Sinner expressed doubt about the location of his match for thirty minutes. He stated that he would always prefer to play on Rod Laver Arena.
“When you are on the centre court, it is a special privilege as you can truly experience it during the walk-on and other aspects.”
