Anthony Albanese was booed mercilessly by a hostile crowd after the men’s final of the Australian Open.
Jannik Sinner, 22, made history in the nail-biting five-set thriller against Russian Daniil Sergeyevich Medvedev, 27, fighting back from two sets down to become the first Italian to win the Grand Slam. The final score ended at 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.
Australian tennis great Todd Woodbridge congratulated the players in the post-match presentation on their incredible performances, prompting a roar from the crowd at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena on Sunday evening.
But when Woodbridge welcomed the Prime Minister on behalf of Tennis Australia, an angry crowd of 15,000 erupted, with deafening cheers and jeers during the TV broadcast.
A stunned Woodbridge awkwardly said “thank you” in an attempt to quiet the crowd before continuing with the presentation.
An animated Mr Albanese had been watching the match court with his girlfriend Jodie Haydon as a guest of honor of organizers Tennis Australia after a tough week in Canberra.
Australian tennis great Todd Woodbridge will give the post-match presentation at the 2024 Australian Open
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) and his partner Jodie Haydon watch Russia’s Daniil Medvedev play Italy’s Jannik Sinner in the men’s singles final at the Australian Open
The couple were guests of honor of Tennis Australia
An animated Mr Albanese and Mrs Haydon watch the gripping match on the track
The powerful couple waved to the crowd before things went wrong
Mr Albanese promised at least 36 times before his election that he would make no changes to the statutory cuts introduced by the Morrison government.
But on Wednesday afternoon, Labor MPs gave their unanimous support to a decision to halve the benefit for Australians earning more than $180,000, in favor of a boost for lower earners.
While the state of Victoria voted overwhelmingly Labor in the recent state and federal elections and is considered a stronghold of the party, the Prime Minister’s stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict has alienated some supporters who argue that he must denounce the Jewish state’s bombardment of Gaza.
His rising popularity when he first came to power in May 2022 also took a big dip when the Voice to Parliament referendum was voted down in October last year.
“What an epic end to the 2024 Australian Open and Anthony Albanese being booed was just the icing on the cake,” one person wrote on social media.
Another said: ‘He is very unpopular now and has no one to blame but himself.’
Italy’s Jannik Sinner (L) and Russia’s runner-up Daniil Medvedev pose for photos after their men’s singles final at the 2024 Australian Open
Italian Jannik Sinner (left) made an eternal comeback by beating Daniil Medvedev (right) from two sets behind
“Great to see the whole crowd shouting out the Israelis supporting the Australian ‘Labour’ Prime Minister,” a third added.
The Prime Minister responded with class in the aftermath of the embarrassing moment, posting his own message on social media after the match.
“Congratulations to Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner on your incredible wins at the Australian Open,” Mr Albanese wrote.
‘Congratulations to the Australian Open team on a fantastic tournament that brought a record number of visitors to Melbourne.’