Australian Open boss refuses to fix glaring issue after Novak Djokovic 'disgrace' called out
Craig Tiley has addressed the poor crowd behaviour that has crept in at the tennis grand slam in recent years.
The tennis world has labelled Australia a 'disgrace' for the way Novak Djokovic was treated when he retired hurt in the semi-finals against Alexander Zverev. But Australian Open boss Craig Tiley has resisted calls to introduce alcohol restrictions or scheduling changes after more poor crowd behaviour marred the grand slam in 2025.
Djokovic was booed by spectators when he called it quits after losing the first set against Zverev, with tennis fans labelling the treatment "disgusting" and "embarrassing". The last few Australian Opens have seen some pretty poor behaviour from fans, and this year was no exception.
As well as the drama with Djokovic, American player Danielle Collins was also booed and told the crowd to "shut up" during her match with Destanee Aiava. British players Jack Draper and Jacob Fearnley also had their errors cheered during clashes with Australian players Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis.
There's a general feeling that fan behaviour at Melbourne Park has hit an all-time low, and the etiquette you normally see at the tennis is being thrown out the window. But speaking on Sunday before the men's final, Tiley rejected calls that changes should be made and declared he won't be cracking down.
Due to the extraordinary price of tickets (especially for the finals), disgruntled punters have felt short-changed after paying big money for short sessions. The booing of Djokovic was partly because fans had forked out up to $1000 for tickets, only to see one set of play. Eventual champion Jannik Sinner also had a one-sided quarter-final against Alex de Minaur that barely lasted three hours.
But Tiley is unbowed and doesn't see a need for change. "To change the schedule because you think someone may default wouldn't be a wise thing to do," the Tennis Australia boss told AAP. "I'm not worried about the crowd behaviour.
"I was at the Davis Cup a couple of months ago in Malaga and no one complained about the crowd behaviour there, and you couldn't hear yourself speak. The Australian team were against the wall. It was in Spain, but the Italians were going crazy. So I struggle to understand why people think that's different. That's far worse (behaviour)."
I don’t care what u think of @DjokerNole love him or hate him. If U booed him off the court today, you’re a disgrace. That man has literally left his heart & soul on that court. He’s our greatest champion Melbourne and he’s injured! Think about what you just did. Disgraceful!!
— Rennae Stubbs ♈️ (@rennaestubbs) January 24, 2025
Novak getting booed off is a disgrace. Classless.
— John Millman (@johnhmillman) January 24, 2025
Australian Open won't be cracking down on fan behaviour
Players have made mention of "drunk" fans a number of times over the years, but Tiley doesn't see a need to place limits on alcohol consumption or crack down on rowdy behaviour. When asked if fans had overstepped the mark this year, Tiley insisted: "The majority - 99.9 per cent of fans - absolutely not.
"I fully expect controversies. With one million people coming through the gate for over three weeks, if there's nothing, that would be a bit strange. There's always going to be one or two that heckle or say something. The same thing last year and the year before.
"But it's not like the number of evictions we've had have gone crazy high. Evictions have been on par with previous years, or fewer. And our officials are instructed very clearly that, if they get a call for any disruption of play, they radio in and security go to the people."
Tellingly, a poll of 10,000 Yahoo Sport Australia readers has revealed the overwhelming public opinion is that fan behaviour has crossed a line. At time of publishing, 82 per cent of readers believed the behaviour has been disrespectful, while only 18 per cent think it's been fine.
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Tiley believes tournament organisers have struck the right balance between entertaining fans and ensuring players are respected. "There's always going to be one or two people that make it unpleasant for others. That's human behaviour," he said.
"So whatever people say the word 'bogan' or that it's not a 'Happy Slam', they're definitely not here. I want to look more at like the number of fans who come through the gate and the energy and the enjoyment that they're having is at an all-time high. So we're not going to design an event where we're going to keep people silent because then the next question is going to be, 'Why aren't people enjoying it?'"
Whether or not Tiley's comments will go down well with Djokovic remains to be seen. The 10-time Australian Open champ said he was "trying to understand" why fans would boo him, but bit his tongue when pressed further on the crowd behaviour.
with AAP