"F**king 3'o clock in the morning" - Andy Murray erupts at chair umpire after being denied bathroom break during Australian Open marathon
Andy Murray produced one of his greatest comebacks in a thrilling second-round thriller at the Australian Open in the early hours of Friday morning, defeating home favorite Thanasi Kokkinakis.
The Brit appeared down and out against a resilient Kokkinakis, trailing by two sets and 2-5, but somehow clawed out a 4-6, 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-3, 7-5 victory after five hours and 45 minutes.
This is now the second-longest match at the Australian Open in the Open Era, falling eight minutes short of the battle between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in 2012. It was also the longest match of Murray's career, who now has a win-loss record of 51-14 in the year's first Grand Slam.
During the match, however, Andy Murray appeared angry when the umpire denied him a toilet break in the fifth set. He sat down after winning the fourth set, calling it a "joke" since the Australian Open tournament rules prevented players from taking a toilet break despite the players playing for more than five hours.
"It's 3 f*cking o'clock in the morning, and we're not allowed to take a piss. It's so disrespectful. It's a joke," Murray said.
Andy Murray to the umpire: "It's 3 fucking o'clock in the morning, and we're not allowed to take a piss. It's so disrespectful. It's a joke." 😨 https://t.co/zU4OpRclkG
"When you're sticking on the players 3, 4 in the morning, sometimes there needs to be a little bit of leeway" - Andy Murray
Andy Murray addressed the issue in a post-match press conference after completing his comeback over Kokkinakis. He noted that while he understands the court rules, it's difficult when players can't use the bathroom after drinking all day.
"Look, I understand obviously the rules on the tour with the toilet breaks and the bathroom breaks. I've obviously been very vocal about that," Murray said.
"But it's 3 in the morning. I've been drinking all day. Need to go to the toilet. Yeah, it's obviously frustrating in that moment. I understand you don't want people taking advantage of the rules. But when you're sticking on the players 3, 4 in the morning, sometimes there needs to be a little bit of leeway," he added.
Speaking about the match, the Brit stated that it was by far the longest he has ever played and that he felt better on the court than the day before, which is a positive thing
"Yeah, I mean, it was. I mean, by far the longest match that I played. The conditions, that's what's going to happen. You play in cold conditions, at that time of the day, with balls like that, you're going to get long rallies, long points," Murray said.
"Yeah, I mean, I actually felt better on the court today physically than I did the other day, which is a positive thing. But, yeah, finishing at 4 isn't ideal," he added.