Daniil Medvedev 'completely compromised' by 3.39am finish that enters record books

Tennis matches that finish past midnight have long been a hallmark of the sport's major tournaments, with long five-setters throwing the schedule into chaos.

Wide World of Sports goes back through tennis history to bring you the matches that finished closest to dawn.

Attempting to defend his first Australian Open crown, which he won in 2008, Novak Djokovic got everything he bargained for and more when he met Marcus Baghdatis in the fourth round.

Djokovic dropped the third set but rallied to claim the fourth to avoid putting this match in danger of pushing close to a dawn finish.

By the time this moment was captured, with the pair embracing at the net, it was 2.26am and the Serbian star had prevailed 6-1, 7-6, 6-7, 6-2.

He then retired from his quarter-final match as he trailed Andy Roddick in the fourth set - a retirement that dented his reputation for years to follow.



A weary Djokovic celebrates after winning a crucial point against Baghdatis.

The proud Cypriot loved playing in Melbourne but on this occasion the future 'big three' megastar was too good.

Prime Marin Cilic was a tough customer and the Croatian had to be at his best to see off South Korean star Hyeon Chung in two tight sets after a ridiculously late start time in Washington.

Despite seeing off his opponent in straight sets 7-6, 6-3, it was 2.27am when Cilic met Chung at the net to shake hands.

Andy Murray appears on this list more often than any other player and the further you'll scroll the more it will become clear that he relishes the post-midnight finishes, even as he rails against scheduling that makes them possible.

But in this match it was Grigor Dimitrov that stood tallest, coming from behind to win 4-6, 7-6, 7-6 at 2.30am.

French star Adrian Mannarino has gained a reputation for relishing long battles at grand slams and this match was right down his alley against dangerous Russian Aslan Karatsev.

After dropping the second set Mannarino rebounded to progress to the fourth round with a 7-6, 6-7, 7-5, 6-4 victory that finished at 2.33am.

Nicolas Massu and Fernando Gonzalez hold their gold medals after winning the men's doubles tennis competition at the Athens Olympics.

The gold medal match was an absolute epic, with the Chilean pair outlasting Germany's Nicolas Kiefer and Rainer Schüttler to win the five-setter 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4.

By the time the fifth set had reached its conclusion it was 2.37am.

Unbridled joy spills into the celebration of the Chilean pair as they realise their achievement, having just won a rare tennis gold medal for their country.

After conceding the second and third sets to their German opponents, Gonzalez and Massu picked themselves up to win the next two sets and collect one of sport's most prestigious prizes.

This match was an epic preview of what most tennis fans would expect to be a rivalry that lasts a decade or more between two of the best players of their generation.

Playing for a place in the US Open semi-final, Alcaraz outlasted Sinner to win a five set thriller 6-3, 6-7, 6-7, 7-5, 6-3. The see-sawing encounter tested even the city that doesn't sleep, finally coming to an end at 2.50am in New York.

Carlos Alcaraz can barely believe what he's just done after coming back from two sets to one down and the brink of elimination to beat Jannik Sinner in their US Open quarter-final in 2022.

Alcaraz would go on to win his first grand slam at the event and become the youngest ever player to claim the world No.1 ranking as an added bonus.

This match was just three sets, none of which went to a tiebreak, yet it finished at 2.59am, giving the three-time grand slam winner a taste of the bizarre scheduling that finally led to explosive criticism at the Australian Open in 2023.

Murray, pictured during a change of ends in his Madrid Open clash with Kohlschreiber advanced to the third round after beating the German 6-4, 3-6, 6-0.

Andy Murray may have been the winner on the day but this match shook him to his core, leaving him crying into his towel on the court afterwards, before withdrawing from his next match citing fatigue.

After dropping the first set Murray came back to win 6-7, 6-3, 7-6 at 3.02am.

This match came early in a comeback from injury for Murray, and he said when he withdrew that the tournament had stretched him physically having not played on hard courts for 18 months.

It wouldn't be a list of extraordinary tennis feats without Nadal, and the Spanish legend slots in at eighth on the list for a comeback win over Cuevas that finished at 3.18am.

The match wasn't especially long but the pair didn't get on court until the ridiculous time of 1.16am, leaving Nadal furious.

"No tennis tournament should end at this time. It's tough for the players, but maybe worse for the fans," he said afterwards.

"It very bad on the part of the ATP. It's not the tournament's fault. It was the ATP that didn't want to reschedule a match.

"If it's a grand slam you have a day to rest. It's seems like a terrible error to me."

The Czech Republic's Jiri Novak had an outstanding career but he was bested in Tokyo by Benjamin Becker in a match that didn't finish until 3.24am.

Playing for a place in the fourth round, the pair went the distance in a best of three set match that started very late, Becker clinching it 3-6, 6-3, 7-6.

Italian Andreas Seppi gained a reputation for being one of the ATP Tour's marathon men and that was certainly the case in this match against Bobby Reynolds.

Playing for a place in the second round, the pair traded blows until 3.34am, with Seppi emerging victorious 6-1, 6-7, 6-7, 7-6, 6-3.

World No.3 Daniil Medvedev hits a backhand in his second round Australian Open clash with Emil Ruusuvuori.

Due to a backlog caused by a series of long matches on Rod Laver Arena on the Thursday of the tournament, the Russian didn't walk onto the court for his clash with Ruusuvuori until 11.07pm.

What followed was an unlikely five setter with world No.53 Ruusuvuori putting up more resistance than expected.

The Finnish player seized the first two sets and looked set to cause a massive boilover before Medvedev started to hit his stride and turned the match.

Up 6-3, 7-6 (1), Ruusuvuori could have put the match to bed at a reasonable hour had he taken the third but a 6-4 third set changed the course of the contest, swinging it towards the unflappable Russian.

Medvedev took the fourth set in a tiebreaker (7-1) before breezing through the fifth set 6-0.

He struck the match-winning blow at 3.39am and could barely believe there was anyone left in the crowd to listen to his post-match interview.

"Honestly guys, I would not be here. Thanks for staying," he said.

Naturally the incredibly late finish time drew criticism, with the Australian Open schedule still a divisive topic due to how regularly matches finish long after midnight.

Former world No.8, American John Isner described the Medvedev-Ruusuvuori finish time as "looney tunes".

"No one should be playing tennis at 3:30am. This is looney tunes," Isner wrote.

"The recovery for both players is completely compromised. Especially tough for the loser once the adrenaline leaves their body."

Americans Sam Querrey (L) and Jack Sock (R) outlasted Italians Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini 7-6 6-7 6-4 in a Davis Cup rubber that didn't finish until 4.04am.

Andy Murray and Thanasi Kokkinakis embrace at the net at 4.05am after finishing one of the greatest matches ever witnessed at the Australian Open.

Having dropped the first two sets plus an early break in the third, Murray rallied to win an epic five-setter 4-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Murray was furious with the finish time of the match, which didn't get underway until about 10.15pm, calling for tournament organisers to rethink scheduling.

Murray celebrates one of the greatest comebacks in grand slam tennis history, after he twice broke Kokkinakis as he served for the match before wrestling the momentum for himself.

Murray cemented his 'marathon man' title in this match, with the Brit featuring several times in the list of pre-dawn finishes.