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Novak Djokovic today demanded that ‘drunk’ tennis fans who shouted taunts at him while wearing Where’s Wally costumes be thrown out of the Australian Open stadium.
International competition turned into a farce, with British tennis player Andy Murray also facing boos from tennis fans during his match against Australian tennis player Thanasi Kokkinakis today.
Australian tennis fans roared every time Murray dropped a point in an attempt to distract the Briton during the match.
But Murray was undeterred and won an extraordinary rally in which he defended four strokes, the British player taunting the crowd by putting his hand to his ears as he yelled ‘What?’ – while Kokkinakis threw his racket to the ground in anger.
Tempers also flared during Djokovic’s match against French player Enzo Couacaud, when the Serbian player yelled at the referee to get the fans out of the stadium.
Tempers flared during Djokovic’s match against French player Enzo Couacaud, with the Serbian player yelling at the referee to get the fans out of the stadium.
Tennis star Novak Djokovic today demanded that ‘drunk’ tennis fans who shouted taunts at him while wearing Where’s Wally costumes be banned from the Australian Open stadium.
Andy Murray of Great Britain reacts in his second round singles match against Thanasi Kokkinakis of Australia on Thursday
Spectators in the crowd show their support during the round two singles match between Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis and Andy Murray
Djokovic urged chair umpire Fergus Murphy to remove a spectator from Rod Laver Arena, telling the referee: “The guy’s drunk.” He has been provoking. He just wants to get into my head.
‘What are you gonna do about it? Why don’t you call security to get him out of the stadium?
A security officer was then seen talking to a group of fans dressed as Where’s Wally? in an attempt to calm things down. The group of fans finally left the arena.
Despite the drunken best efforts, they were unable to prevent Djokovic from advancing to the third round, with the Serb defeating Enzo Couacaud 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-0.
Speaking about the rowdy crowd, Djokovic said after the match: “What I have a problem with is when somebody crosses the line, a lot of times… and says things that weren’t respectful at all.”
Djokovic, who said the booing had been going on for over an hour and a half, added: “I’ve had enough, you know?”
Meanwhile, Murray faced a torrent of abuse from Australian fans during his match against Kokkinakis. Fans took to Twitter to say the crowd was “out of control.”
Security officer talks to four fans wearing Where’s Wally costumes at Rod Laver Arena
An Australian fan gestures during the second round match between Andy Murray of Great Britain and Thanasi Kokkinakis at the Australian Open today.
‘The crowd at the Kokkinakis/Murray match needs to shut their mouths! Some crowd emotions are good but out of control right now and impacting the game,” one fan tweeted.
It comes after a group of British fans were thrown out of a stadium for singing ‘You’re so *** andy murray‘ a cameron norrie during his winning match against a French player at the Australian Open yesterday.
The British number one faced a mix of support and abuse from rowdy fans during his match against unseeded Frenchman Constant Lestienne, which he won 3 sets to one on Wednesday.
After Norries took a 4-3 lead over Lestienne in the first set, three British fans could be heard cheering for the British tennis player during their second round match.
But the trio, beer cans in hand, began abusing Norrie as he lost points and yelled that he was “just like Andy Murray” and was thrown out of the stadium by security guards.
The British number one (pictured during his match on January 18) faced a mix of support and abuse from rowdy fans during his match against unseeded Frenchman Constant Lestienne, which he won three sets to one.
But the trio, beer cans in hand, began abusing Norrie as he lost points and yelled that he was “just like Andy Murray” and was thrown out of the stadium by security guards.
Rowdy fans also poured into Lestienne after they chanted “England” and “Constant Goes Home.”
Norrie took it in good spirits, saying: ‘In the first set there were a lot of English fans. And they had the football chants going on, which was a lot of fun, and then obviously they got kicked out.
‘I could still hear them in the second set. But it was a great atmosphere. It’s obviously great on one of the outside courts for them to stick around and support, especially playing so late and cold and all, so it definitely buoyed me up and got me through it, especially in that third set.
Lestienne didn’t take it very well. The match referee gave him a time violation penalty and he refused to play at one point, leading some of the fans to boo the French player.
Constant Lestienne of France speaks to the chair umpire in his second round singles match against Cameron Norrie in Australia on January 18.
“This is all a bit awkward with the spectators booing Lestienne after he refused to play,” BBC commentator David Law said during the match.
“Lestienne’s irritation is there for all to see, he’s chatting with the ref, and I don’t think he wants to be out there.
“Someone in the crowd just yelled ‘Come on dude, we’ve been waiting all day for this.’ The locals are not happy. Lestienne is furious and his temper is about to get worse.
Norrie ultimately wrapped up the match with a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-3 win over Lestienne at 1:28 a.m. Wednesday morning.