It was the second-latest finish to a grand slam singles match at the Australian Open, but Andy Murray was feeling far from sentimental about his place in the record books and what it meant for players, fans and officials.
AS IT HAPPENED: Murray outlasts Kokkinakis in legendary marathon
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The three-time grand slam champion and Thanasi Kokkinakis pushed themselves to the point of exhaustion in the clash that went for 5 hours, 45 minutes as Murray emerged with a 4-6, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5), 6-3, 7-5 victory that ended a little after 4 a.m.
There wasn’t much separating both players in the end. Murray won 196 points to Kokkinakis’ 192 and they both combined for 171 winners to only 107 unforced errors.
With the match starting at 10:20pm, the situation became farcical when Murray forced proceedings into a fifth set. It was after 3am and the temperature dropped to 15 degrees. As the clash ticked into the fifth hour, 35-year-old Murray asked to go to the toilet, even though he had already been afforded his allocated break.
The umpire denied his request, leaving the the former world No.1 dumbfounded by the lack of common sense around the rules.
“Do you know something? I respect the rules. It’s so disrespectful that the tournament has us out here until 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning and we we’re not allowed to go and take a piss. It’s a joke. You know it’s a joke. It’s disrespectful, it’s ridiculous,” he told the chair umpire.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Murray described the situation as a “farce”.
“I don’t know who it’s beneficial for,” Murray said.
“We come here after the match and that’s what the discussion is. Rather than it being like, epic Murray-Kokkinakis match, it ends in a bit of a farce.
“Amazingly people stayed until the end. And I really appreciate people doing that and creating an atmosphere for us at the end. I really appreciate that.
Murray reflects on mind-bending marathon
“But if my child was a ball kid for a tournament and they’re coming home at five in the morning, as a parent, I’m snapping at that.
“It’s not beneficial for them, it’s not beneficial for the umpires, the officials, I don’t think it’s amazing for the fans, it’s not good for the players.
“We talk about it all the time, and it’s been spoken about for years.
“But when you start the night matches late and have conditions like that, these things are gonna happen.”
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