WARM weather and cold beer is a good recipe for a day at the beach or a BBQ, but it’s a disaster for an international sports event where the vast majority actually go to watch the sport and not get drunk and throw abuse at players.
Melbourne Park organisers have quite rightly been left embarrassed with their ‘party court’ theme on court 6 where alcohol-fuelled behaviour saw Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova harassed by fans who screamed and “meowed” at her.
The Courtside Bar has a capacity of about 400 people with seating that overlooks the court.
Back in October AO boss Craig Tiley said it was a model they like to expand further across the site in future. Really?
With music blaring from the bar and ‘fans’ shouting abuse at players?
“I was actually thinking during the match ‘What was the idea behind it?’,” Pavlyuchenkova said.
“Yeah okay, maybe of course, for the fans, it’s super fun for them. But tennis is a special sport in a way.
“It’s not like baseball, or other sports where you can eat and walk around, or like basketball. It is completely different. It’s very quiet in a way. So yeah, that was really uncomfortable.”
Spaniard Paula Badosa, played there and was unhappy with it.
“My two matches I played there. It’s very noisy, very loud. It’s a little bit tough to concentrate there,” Badosa said.
Her boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas played doubles on the court on Thursday, also complained that it was not a nice experience.
Like father, like son…
Following in dad’s footsteps in Melbourne last week was a teenager called Hewitt.
Cruz Hewitt, the 15-year-old son of legendary Aussie Lleyton Hewitt, made his junior Slam debut in the Australian Open boy’s singles.
Hewitt was wildcard entry after falling at the final hurdle of junior grand slam qualification.
The wildcard came 27 years after his father debuted in the main draw of the Australian Open.
Cruz won three junior titles in 2023, and was spotted training with Dominic Thiem and Alex de Minaur at Melbourne Park.
IT’S only week one – and tears have been flowing.
Milos Raonic’s wife was tearful after watching her husband withdraw from the Open in his first round match against Alex De Minaur.
The big-hitting Canadian, 33, was unable to complete his match against the Aussie, bowing out midway through the third set.
“It’s tough to see any player walk out this way,” John McEnroe said.
And a misty-eyed Camille Ringoir had to fight back the tears as her husband limped off the court.
NO tears, but plenty of ‘other’ body fluids at a hot Melbourne on Tuesday as Brit Jack Draper won the first five set match of his career, before he threw up ointment a bin afterwards.
Draper battled to overcome American Marcos Giron 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 in a three hours and 20 minutes slog that saw him have a trainer check his blood pressure when the match was 1-1.
WILL Andy Murray play Melbourne again? It seems extremely unlikely after his first round exit.
‘It’s a definite possibility that will be the last time I play here,’ Murray said, after losing to Tomas Etcheverry.
No disgrace there, as Etcheverry is ranked No.30 and a decent Slam player.
But for Murray it was a major disappointment and raises the retirement question again.
“I have an idea of when I would probably like to finish, so much of that depends on how you’re playing. The time frame for that narrows when you play and have results like today,” Murray added.
A Wimbledon finale perhaps?
ANOTHER first round loser was Naomi Osaka, clearly still recovering from giving birth to a daughter, and far from elite match fitness.
She just didn’t look ready for a Slam, her opponent Caroline Garcia did.
And it didn’t take long for the critics to sharpen their knives.
“Tennis-wise, it was maybe a B-plus performance. But overall a C, because she couldn’t get to the ball. She’s not in shape,” Martina Navratilova said.
“I’m surprised she played this tournament without clearly being in the tip-top shape she needs to be in.”
Ouch, but a fair point.
As for Osaka and a plan to be back at the top?
I’m definitely thinking of playing Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami, Charleston, then probably like a full clay season,” she said.
QUOTE of the week: “Oh my god, this is the wokest tournament ever.”
Those were the words of a vert frustrated Aussie Jordan Thompson speaking to an umpire last week, complaining about the noise from spectators.
Australian Open organisers have clearly ditched the traditional rules of watching and enjoying tennis in favour of what many consider the mob rule.
Courtside bars, loud music, beer swilling fans behaving as if it were an American football match.
The wokeness has not stepped there. Australia’s national day on January 26 has been dropped by organisers, but they will have a ‘First Nation’s Day’ and a Pride day.
“If you’re going to call yourself the Australian Open and it happens that our national day takes place during the tournament, you have to acknowledge Australia Day,” Melbourne radio host Tom Elliott said.
Does it have anything to do with the $100m secret bailout payment from the Victorian State radical left labor government to prop up the event post the covid pandemic shutdown. “We’ll help you out but you have to follow our narrative?”
And what is going on at 3.40am? Middle of the night matches that Craig Tiley said would stop with the extra day of play.
This is not good for TV, spectators or players.
BEST courtside interview? At 16 Ms Andreeva shows how it’s done…
OUR WTF moment … the one that made us laugh out loud – and it has to go to who else but Nick Kyrgios.
The outspoken Aussie, who is missing the event through injury, has offered to become Novak Djokovic’s personal security guard.
Kyrgios was angered by a heckler on Rod Laver Arena last week, saying he would jump into the crowd to “sort it out”.
“When he was heckling you, Novak, I told everyone from the commentary box worldwide ‘if you want me to jump into the crowd and sort him out, I’ve got your back 100 per cent, bro’,” Kyrgios said.
“There’s always some jerk in the crowd who wouldn’t say something to Novak’s face.”
FINALLY… Sad to hear of the passing of The London Daily Mail’s tennis correspondent Mike Dickson while at the Australian Open last week. Mike, 59, had worked at the Mail for 33 years, covering tennis since 2007. A well respected tennis writer. RIP.
