Australian Open crowd attracts criticism after Nick Kyrgios, Andy Murray matches

Tom Naghten

Australian Open crowd attracts criticism after Nick Kyrgios, Andy Murray matches image

The atmosphere in John Cain Arena has come under criticism following two blockbuster matches on the court on day two of the Australian Open.

Andy Murray claimed a thrilling five-set victory over Nikoloz Basilashvili before Nick Kyrgios went to work on his favourite court, putting on a show on the way to a straight sets win over English qualifier Liam Broady.

Throughout both matches, sections of the crowd could be heard shouting "siuuu" - easily mistaken for boos - an exclamation made famous by Cristiano Ronaldo which has recently become a trend on social media.

Additionally, Broady said he felt some of the treatment he copped from the fans was a bit much.

"Everyone is telling me, 'Oh you'll really enjoy it. It's going to be amazing.' But I thought it was absolutely awful," he said post-match.

"I obviously wanted to go out there and win, I mean, losing matches in general isn't enjoyable. 

"The atmosphere was incredible but it's the first time I've ever walked onto a tennis court and been booed, which for me was a crazy experience.

"You get sledged from the sides like you can't believe that they don't pick up on TV. So it was a very, very difficult atmosphere to try and handle, and he's incredible at getting them behind him and he plays better for it.

"I think that's very rare, especially in the sport of tennis. Now people don't really interact with the crowd like he does and that's one of his biggest strengths. 

"I'm glad to have played the match and to have got the experience, and for a Brit to go and play on John Cain against Kyrgios is probably one of the tougher atmospheres in tennis to play. So it stands me in good stead for the rest of the year anyway."

A daily groundpass to Melbourne Park Arena is sufficient to get fans into John Cain Arena, provided one gets there early enough, often making for rowdier atmospheres compared with Rod Laver and Margaret Court Arenas.

Kyrgios, who will face Daniil Medvedev in the second round after the 6-4 6-4 6-3 win, said he hopes the match is on John Cain but expects it to take place on centre court.

The Aussie appeared keener than ever to give the fans what they want on Tuesday, hitting tweeners, underarm serves and even having a post-match sip of beer.

 

 

Despite the fun on court, even Kyrgios was frustrated by the crowd at times.

"They actually weren't saying ‘boo’, it's just a stupid - f**k, I can't believe they did it so much," Kyrgios told reporters.

"They were doing some Ronaldo thing. Ronaldo does it every time he scores. I thought they were going to do it for like 10 minutes.

"They did it for two-and-a-half hours, like every point. I don't know why. It was a zoo out there.”

In the earlier match, the crowd was certainly on the 34-year-old Murray's side but he wasn't a fan of the incessant "siuuu"ing.

"That's painful stuff there. Those guys..." he said, cutting himself off.

Speaking to reporters later, Murray described it as "incredibly irritating."

"Initially, I thought it was [booing], because there were some people booing during my practice yesterday. I have no idea what for," Murray said.

"But then after a few times it was like, no, they're doing that, I think it's like 'Siuuu' or something that Ronaldo does when he scores. And, yeah, it was incredibly irritating."

You're not wrong, Andy. 

Hopefully the fans have siuuu'd themselves out for the rest of the tournament.

Tom Naghten

Tom Naghten Photo

Tom Naghten is a senior editor at The Sporting News Australia where he's been part of the team since 2017. He predominantly covers boxing and MMA. In his spare time, he likes to watch Robbie Ahmat's goal against the Kangaroos at the SCG in 2000.