MELBOURNE: Briton Johanna Konta labeled her late-night Australian Open match against Garbine Muguruza “dangerous” and unhealthy Friday, saying they should not have had to play in the early hours of the morning.
Konta was eliminated early Friday after contesting the latest women’s match ever held at the Australian Open, starting at 12:30 am and ending two hours and 42 minutes later at 3:12 am. An exhausted Konta said the situation should never have arisen. “I don’t agree with athletes having to physically exert themselves in the wee hours of the morning,” she told the BBC after the 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 7-5 second-round defeat to Spaniard Muguruza.
“I don’t think it is healthy – in fact, it is quite dangerous. “However, Garbine and I were both in the same position and, with the circumstances, we really put on a great match and it’s just a shame more people couldn’t enjoy it.” The start was delayed when the men’s match between Alexander Zverev and Jeremy Chardy on the same court turned into a 3hr 46min epic.
In a bizarre twist, Konta said organizers looked at switching the match to an outside court but found it was covered with bird droppings. “We were actually going to go out to court three to start. There was basically seagull poo everywhere,” she said.  “They had to clean the court. By the time they would have cleaned the court, we would have been in the same boat anyway.”

app