Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
The Australian Open will begin on a Sunday next year and expand to a 15-day event for the first time. Tennis Australia announced the change to the Grand Slam tournament on Monday, saying its intention is to decrease the likelihood of late-night finishes for the athletes and spectators. The change for next January's tournament at Melbourne Park comes after this year's Australian Open included a second-round match between Andy Murray and Thanasi Kokkinakis that concluded after 4 a.m. The late finishes have become something of a semi-regular occurrence in tennis.
