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Sport Nation
Fractious Australian Open overshadowed by precious prima donnas
Gerard Whateley • January 28th, 2025 2:46 pm
The Australian Open – it felt fractious this year. There were times where I found it a bit off putting.
Too many of the players came across as the most precious prima donnas, objecting to anything other than fawning idolatry.
And it wasn’t restricted to the nonsense between Novak Djokovic and Tony Jones.
I can’t help but feel it’s a bit like our cricketers, I don’t fancy the world’s tennis players would last too long in the furnace of our footy world week to week.
Todd Woodbridge made the searingly accurate assessment Thanasi Kokkinakis had compromised his preparation for the season’s first grand slam tournament by collecting the money of an exhibition in Russia – which he is perfectly entitled to do.
The special brats objected, citing jealously. Jealously of all things. Todd was spot on. We saw that play out with the injury status of Kokkinakis through the singles and doubles.
And tell me you didn’t fall for the Nick Kyrgios nonsense. If you haven’t done the work, you can’t rock up and talk your way into the next round.
Danielle Collins kept saying she didn’t care was anyone said or wrote… while reacting to everything that was said and written.
Novak Djokovic got hooted when he withdrew after one set of a semi final. Of course he did. These are expensive tickets and it was an awful anti-climax.
He’s not loved here. We should stop pretending otherwise. Forget the talk of a statue.
He’s better performed than any international sportsman ever on these shores – any sport, any generation, but he’s never won the hearts.
There’s a statue of Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros and it speaks to the love the Parisians have for Nadal, and that was enacted at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. It’s a Paris Games. Nadal is a Spaniard and he was featured like a hometown hero.
You walk into Roland Garros and there’s a beautiful silver statue of Nadal – because he is loved in that city.
Novak is not loved here. He can be admired for his achievements, but he’s not loved.
That was a perfectly reasonable and human reaction in the stands.
I did notice the crowds were criticised for the lukewarm response to Jannik Sinner’s victory.
You were depicted about being fussy about your champions – 'the Italian was boring because he won so easily'. What tosh!
The problem with Sinner’s triumph is the backdrop of an anti-doping case because the world number 1 twice tested positive to a banned steroid.
That shadow won’t be cleared for months and it loomed heavily over his achievements in Melbourne.
That’s why people don’t quite know how to react. To pretend otherwise is disingenuous.
