Australian Open 2024: Tim Henman questions Grand Slam rules after late Daniil Medvedev finish – ‘Not what they wanted’

The No. 3 seed battled back from two sets down to win in a decider on Rod Laver and progress into the third round at around 3.40am local time, a scenario tournament organisers had hoped to avoid by adding an extra day at the start of the first Grand Slam of the year.

Under new ATP and WTA rules which state no match can start after 11pm, Medvedev’s encounter would have been pushed back to the following day, and Henman was asked whether this is something that should be implemented in Grand Slams.

“The problem in the slams is you’re playing best in five sets,” Henman said. “On tour, you’re playing best of three sets, but it’s been a crazy day.

“I don’t know whether you need to start the night session a little bit earlier. Do you make the balls, the courts a bit quicker? Who knows? But this is not what they wanted in this tournament.”

Medvedev himself admitted he wouldn’t have stuck around as late if he was a fan and estimated he would get to bed at around 6.30am after fulfilling all his post-match obligations.

The 27-year-old, who lost in the 2021 and 2022 final, plays Felix Auger-Aliassime in the next round, with both Henman and Mats Wilander questioning whether he will be able to recover adequately.

But the 2021 US Open champion will be delighted just to have advanced after falling two sets to love down to his Finnish opponent.

Medvedev cut a frustrated figure and was seen regularly gesturing his frustration towards his coaching box before rallying to win in five.

Asked about how he managed to turn the tide in his favour, Medvedev said: “On the warm-up I was like already, ‘Wow, it’s so fast, everything is so different’. So it was not easy to start the match and first set, I was really missing too much, I was missing all over the place.

“Then I gave like 55 racquets to change the tension and finally found one where I felt like I was playing better.

“Sometimes it’s just something you create in your mind and I stayed with this racquet. I took it in the beginning of the third side and I stayed with it until the end of the match.”

After winning the third set, Medvedev gained an early foothold in the fourth when he broke Ruusuvuori in the first game to maintain his momentum.

But he conceded the initiative in the eighth game as Ruusuvuori got the set back on serve at 4-4 before moving 5-4 ahead and within touching distance of an upset.

That sparked an angry reaction from Medvedev, who launched his racquet towards his chair in a moment Henman said could have been dangerous.

Discussing the incident, Henman added: “He was up a break in the fourth set and then he absolutely went mad when he lost this point. They get into this long exchange and Medvedev comes forward and look at that passing shot.

“It was a short backswing and a flick of the wrist and then that brings the reaction. And that is just… that’s crazy because there are times when you’re frustrated and you smash a racquet but when you throw it like that it could go absolutely anywhere.

“You don’t know how it’s going to bounce off the chair so he was lucky that that didn’t happen. But he did an incredible job of then regrouping to hold serve and stay in that fourth set.”