Andy Murray Slams Australian Open 2023 Over 'Disrespectful' Rule

Andy Murray is voicing his frustrations with one of the rules at the 2023 Australian Open.

On Thursday night (January 19), the 35-year-old tennis player faced off in a nearly six-hour long match against Thanasi Kokkinakis at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia.

As they prepared to go into the fifth set, the umpire denied Andy‘s request to use the restroom for a second time.

After being refused a second bathroom break, Andy voiced his frustrations, saying the rule was “direspectful” to players and attendees of the tournament.

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“It’s so disrespectful that the tournament has us out here until three, f–king four in the morning and we’re not allowed to take a piss,” Andy said on the bench, according to a clip posted to Twitter.

Speaking to the umpire, Andy said that while he “respects the rules of the tournament,” he finds the rule prohibiting from a second bathroom break to be “a joke.”

“It’s disrespectful to you, it’s disrespectful to the ball children, disrespectful to the players and we’re not allowed to go to the toilet,” Andy said. “It’s ridiculous.”

At the tennis tournament, players are allowed one bathroom break in best-of-three set matches, while they get another one for best-of-five matches, with no exceptions for marathon matches, like Andy and Thanasi‘s.

Ultimately, Andy defeated Thanasi in the match, which concluded at 4 in the morning Sydney time after five hours and 45 minutes.