SUMMARY
- Melbourne Park has undergone some renovations, but one addition in particular is being lambasted by players.
- Pavlyuchenko opens up about the harassment she faced from drunk fans during her match.
The Australian Open is off to a blistering start this week, with the players giving their best. Melbourne has become a melting pot as fans have made their way to the city to watch their favorites in action. In addition to tennis, fans can enjoy the atmosphere at Melbourne Park since the venue underwent some renovations. However, this has caused its fair share of problems too, and the players are paying the price for it.
The ‘party court’ is in the headlines once again as Russian player Anastasian Pavlyuchenkova slammed the organizers recently. She shared harrowing details about how a few drunk fans pestered her during her match against Paula Badosa.
Anastasia took on Badosa in the second round, where they played on Court 6. One of the major renovations happened right next to Court 6, as Tennis Australia built a two-storey bar right next to it. The courtside bar comes with live music, and fans can move around freely. While this makes for an elevated experience for the fans, it can quickly get under the players’ skins.
Following her defeat to Badosa, Pavlyuchenkova spoke of how she found a few fans’ behaviors “disturbing”. She recounted how some of them got drunk and started to harass her because of her leg tattoo.
“There were a couple of guys, I think they got drunk and they started to scream and meow [at me], I think maybe because I have this tattoo on my leg [which reads meow]. Or just because of course they had some drinks and so it was really disturbing,” she said (via iNews).
This incident has shed light on an important issue that players are facing at the Australian Open. It is not just the bar, though, as the fans have been a little troublesome in general this year.
Novak Djokovic speaks up about the crowd at the Australian Open
The crowd at the tournament has been a little rowdy this year. Novak Djokovic confronted a heckler during his second-round match against Alexei Popyrin. This incident invited the anger of Nick Kyrgios too.
Moreover, he spoke about the spectators being noisy between the first and second serves all night. Djokovic added that it was not the best atmosphere to play in, and he finds it frustrating.
Novak Djokovic was asked if it upsets him when there are ‘idiots’ in the crowd who go too far:
“It does. I’m not going to sit & say it’s all good. It’s not good. Of course, it upsets me. I’m frustrated. I don’t want to be experiencing that, but I have to accept it as it is.… pic.twitter.com/DzdaH88TJW
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 17, 2024
With more and more players speaking up against the behavior of the crowd, hopefully the Australian Open organizers will treat this matter urgently. The first week so far has been excellent, with high-quality tennis from the players as they go for glory.