Australian Open – “Zoo out of control”: Should Sinner prepare for hell?

Poor Jacob Fearnley must not have understood what was happening to him. Each of his mistakes suddenly aroused the enthusiasm of the public. Celebrating opponent errors is contrary to the public's code of honor on the ATP circuit but, in Australia, in certain circumstances, decency is shattered. So on Monday, when local idol Nick Kyrgios resurfaced in the third set, the atmosphere suddenly changed. It tensed up quite significantly to end up degenerating. A disrespectful attitude which did not prevent the Briton, ultimately the loser of a diminished Kyrgios, from appreciating the experience.

The victory made the pill go away: “It was extraordinaryexplained Fearnley. It was so loud. It was difficult, because I couldn't even hear my coach, I couldn't hear anything. Especially between the first and second serves, it was very difficult, to be honest.“He is not the first to undergo such treatment. And the next could be the world number 1 and defending champion, Jannik Sinner. The Italian faces Tristan Schoolkate, a native of Perth, this Thursday. He can expect a spicy welcome. So far, everything is going well for someone who might have feared the public reaction to his positive doping test.

“I was curious to see what it was all about. You never know what happens. I was happy with the crowdhe savored. It was a very friendly audience. There were some for my opponent and others for me. The atmosphere was pleasant.“It risks falling in the 2nd round. It must be said that Kyrgios, again, has prepared the ground well. The bad boy from Canberra has continued to attack the world number 1 head-on in the wake of the first revelations concerning Sinner's positive clostebol tests as early as last March.

He has never stopped provoking him since. “If I play him at the Australian Open, I will make every single person in the audience against him, I will try to start a riot, an uprising against him. I will abandon all respect. I will do anything to win“, Kyrgios told his comrades on the Nothing Major podcast last December. Will the Melbourne audience remember that?

“Australian crowds have gotten a little out of control over the last ten yearsadmitted Pat Cash, a former finalist in Melbourne, a few days ago. We should have more respect for international players who come here. There is a risk that they will say to themselves: 'I'm not coming to Australia anymore, I'm going there and I'm being mistreated: what's the point of all that?'”

Last year, several incidents punctuated the fortnight. Four drunk fans were expelled for heckling Novak Djokovic in the middle of a match, Denis Shapovalov had a heated exchange with a fan. In 2022, Liam Broady faces Nick Kyrgios in Melbourne and experiences hell well beyond his defeat in three straight sets. “Everyone told me: 'you're really going to like this. It's going to be great.' But I found it absolutely horrible, the Briton complained after the meeting. The atmosphere was incredible, but it's the first time I've walked onto a tennis court and been booed.“

That year, Kyrgios ended up losing against Daniil Medvedev but, again, in stormy conditions: “Before the second serve, people were celebrating as if I had already made a double fault. It's just disappointingthe Russian reacted. Not everyone did this but those who did probably have a very low IQ.“

This year again, Melbourne is hot even when it's not Kyrgios. The Belgian Greet Minnen could not stand the reception as she faced the Australian Destanee Aiava, from the qualifications. “It was a match in very difficult conditionsshe told the Belgian press. JI felt very bad on the court, because of the crowd. I've actually never felt so bad on a tennis court. It was very complicated.” But the trend doesn't just affect the Australian Open.

Last spring, even the traditionally more subdued audience at Roland-Garros was singled out. David Goffin, for example, received chewing gum on his foot during his meeting with Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. Amélie Mauresmo, tournament director, was even forced to establish new instructions such as banning the consumption of alcohol in the stands.

At the US Open, same observation. In August, the German Siegemund, booed during her match against Coco Gauff, finished the match with tears in her eyes: “The public had no respect for me, for the way I played and for the player that I am. I've never seen this in any other country.” The drift therefore does not only affect Melbourne and Australia. “If we go to Australia, it has become much more violent than in France“, admits Lucas Pouille.

After his defeat at the start of the week, Kyrgios ended up admitting: “I don't know what I did to this audience, you are a real zoo, out of controllaughed the Australian who loves to feed on this madness. JI'm so excited to be here, it's my favorite course in the whole world.“What will Jannik Sinner say after his confrontation against one of the local heroes?