Daniil Medvedev, a player who is often "worn out" at the Australian Open by matches that last until dawn, proposed that the organizers push the schedule one hour earlier for the convenience of athletes.
According to Medvedev, instead of arranging the latest match of the day at 7 pm, the Australian Open should bring this time slot to 6 pm. "7 pm is probably a bit late and will lead to many troubles" - the Russian tennis player shared.
Last season, Medvedev lost to his teenage junior Learner Tien in a match that ended at 2:54 am the next morning. Previously, he also experienced one of the latest matches in Australian Open history when he met Emil Ruusuvuori in 2024 and only left the field at 3:40 am.
The record for the latest match to end a Grand Slam in Melbourne belongs to Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis in 2004, when the audience had to watch until 4:34 am.
Despite constantly falling into "marathons" in the land of kangaroos, Medvedev still has significant achievements with three finals in 2021, 2022 and 2024.
If I reach the peak of my form, I can beat anyone at the Australian Open. I have had great matches there, the pitch and playing conditions are suitable for my playing style" - Medvedev said.
After a not-so-expected 2025 season, Medvedev came to the Australian Open with new coach Thomas Johansson. This is the most recent Swedish player to win a Grand Slam at Melbourne in 2002, when he defeated former world number one Marat Safin in the final even though he was only the 16th seed.
Medvedev is currently in Brisbane to attend the warm-up tournament for the Australian Open. The first Grand Slam of the year will take place from January 18 to February 1 in Melbourne.
