Crowd culture changing in tennis says Pat Rafter; Pat McEnroe

Things are somewhat out of control at the Australian Open this year, and that's got only a little to do with the results on the courts.

Yes, there were some upsets, including Madison Keys eliminating No.2 Iga Swiatek in the women's semi-finals Thursday night. It also was the first time since 1990 that three teenagers beat top-10 men's seeds at a grand slam tennis tournament.

The loser of one of those matches, Daniil Medvedev, got fined $76,000 for behaving badly. Last year's women's runner-up exited in the first round.

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Ho, hum. The real fuss is happening elsewhere. The rowdy fans, for one thing, continuing a recent increase in loud and unruly folks in the stands at Grand Slam tennis tournaments, whether calling out during points or between points, or booing lustily (which drew an animated and vocal rebuke from American Danielle Collins after she defeated an Australian player), or causing such a ruckus at a court equipped with a bar that an adjacent match was moved to a different venue.

“It’s been like that for a couple of years. ... Sometimes I think it’s disrespectful,” said Pat Rafter, a retired Australian player who won two US Open titles and reached the No.1 ranking in the late 1990s.

“Sometimes, I think it’s just part of the game, the transition of this generation, and that’s what they want. This is the Australian Open.”

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American semi-finalist Ben Shelton expressed his discontent with with some of the questions he was asked in on court interviews by Tennis Australia interviewers.

So what is going on, exactly? Why is everyone so angry at what long has been known as the Happy Slam?

It's hard to pinpoint one reason. And, in truth, it could just be coincidental, rather than a reflection of Australian society or any sort of trend in modern-day tennis.

Then again, maybe it's just a reflection of the post-pandemic world, where a lot of people are still adjusting after being cooped up and unable to attend sporting events — or go much of anywhere, actually — for a while.

Or perhaps it's an increasing willingness on the part of the athletes to call out what they consider bad behaviour and give as good as they get, something Novak Djokovic did more than once on his way to Friday's men's semi-finals.

It also might stem from attempts by tennis leaders to, as Rafter noted, attract new fans and, especially, younger fans.

That's seen in various ways, from allowing movement in the stands while play is in progress — something unheard of for decade upon decade — to permitting coaching during contests and making it part of the spectacle with courtside boxes or trying to meet kids where they are by posting feeds on YouTube of real-time animated streams of matches made to look like a video game.

Could be working: As the event heads to Sunday's conclusion, 10 of the first 12 days had record attendance, including more than 97,000 on site on January 17, the highest one-day number in tournament history.

“It's fun in Australia. It’s a place where you see people coming from all over the world, which creates a great atmosphere. Sometimes, I think ... it can go a little bit over the line. There are traditions in tennis that are important that make tennis unique,” said Patrick McEnroe, an ex-player and former captain of the US Davis Cup team.

“You have to move with the times,” McEnroe continued, “but I think there’s something about the quiet that happens in a great tennis match that’s unique.”

This whole phenomenon is not unique to Melbourne Park, though.

Unusual scenes have been playing out in the stands at Roland Garros, Flushing Meadows and — gasp! — even the All England Club.

During the 2022 Wimbledon final, Nick Kyrgios got into a back-and-forth with one particularly bothersome spectator, who later sued him. Crowds at the US Open have been notoriously rambunctious for a while, especially when the drinks flow at night, including the jeering that drowned out the trophy ceremony when Naomi Osaka defeated Serena Williams in the 2018 women's final.

Last year, French Open organisers stopped letting ticket-holders bring alcohol to their seats after one player, Belgian David Goffin, complained about having gum spat at him.

“It’s becoming soccer,” Goffin said. "Soon there’ll be smoke bombs, hooligans and fights in the stands. I think it’s getting ridiculous.”

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