Australian Open: Time to stop the idiots trying to ruin a great tournament

The Australian Open likes to promote itself as ‘The Happy Slam’, but too many spectators have taken that tag to extreme levels at Melbourne Park this year.
Tournament organisers have encouraged fans to come and go as they please in the stands, with the traditional wait for a change of ends abandoned as spectators are given freedom to lap up the action as they see fit.
Yet that license to have fun needs to be accepted with a little respect and it has been lacking far too often from spectators at the 2025 Australian Open.
Danielle Collins, Novak Djokovic and Jack Draper are among the big names who have been on the receiving end of some appalling behaviour from fans who have done all they can to try and influence matches negatively.
Umpires have been doing their best to plead with fans to stay silent during points, but it has been a losing battle with idiots who are desperate to steal the limelight for themselves and try and ruin the spectacle for everyone else.
We’ve had screams from the stands just before a player is about to serve, while Draper’s sensational five-set win against Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic included numerous incidents of fans whistling in an attempt to throw him off his game.
Alcohol may well be the root problem for the unwanted interruptions, especially during the matches that run late into the Melbourne evening and some into the early morning.
Yet there is no excuse for some of the rowdiness we have seen and Australian Open chiefs need to get tough with those who are unable to behave and remove them from the grounds.
Offensive spectators could be given due warning before they are ejected, but the sight of two or three losers being shown the door would have a big impact on how those who follow in their footsteps in the second week of the tournament may behave.
For now, it is up to the players to strike back at the fools and Danielle Collins did that in her own unique manner in her feisty win over Australian qualifier Destanee Aiava.
After telling one spectator to ‘shut up’ just before she served, Collins made a big show of mocking the crowd as they jeered her loudly after her victory.
“One of the greatest things about being a professional athlete is the people that don’t like you and the people that hate you, they actually pay your bills,” Collins said.
“It’s a cool concept. Obviously, my professional career is not going to last forever. So I remind myself every day when I have that kind of stuff, they’re paying my bills.
“Every person that’s bought a ticket to come out here and heckle me or do what they do, it’s all going towards the Danielle Collins Fund.
“Me and my group of girlfriends love a five-star vacation. I can guarantee you that the cheque goes towards our next five-star trip, hopefully to The Bahamas.
“We like big boats, we like yachts. We’ll post about it, and let you guys know how it goes.”
She went on to suggest the abuse flowing her way helped her to get over the winning line.
“I think it really helped me in the end, helped me concentrate more, and challenged me at times and pushed me through the finish line,” added Collins.
“I was really happy too when I finally got momentum. I’m like: ‘Well, if I’m going to be out here for two-and-a-half hours, putting up with all these people, I might as well just take the bigger paycheque, right?’ I was super happy to do that.”
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Collins was criticised in some quarters for her reaction to the abusive fans, but 10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic insisted she was right to take a stand.
This came after he also clashed with what he suspects were drunk spectators during his win against Tomas Machac.
“I loved her response,” said Djokovic. “I loved it, everything she said on the court, off the court. Big fan of Danielle Collins after that. I was before, but now, big fan
“I heard some comments from people that she shouldn’t have said that. I think she handled it really well.
“I don’t think I would be that polite, and I know exactly the feeling. So I think she was funny, smart, and just a big fan of what she did.”
Djokovic also spoke about his clash with a spectator on Rod Laver Arena in his win against Machac, as he was asked if some fans take the abuse too far.
“I understand you have a few drinks more and then you get into it, but on the court it’s frustrating, and it comes in a bad moment,” he stated.
“If it’s repetitive, it happens for an hour, somebody tells you in the corner things that you don’t want to hear and constantly provoking, then of course it comes to the point where you just respond.
“So I tried to tolerate but then at one point I had to respond.”
We all want to see spectators of all ages watching tennis in whatever manner they see fit, but some of the behaviour in the stands at this year’s Australian Open has over-stepped the make.
If the Australian Open wants to retain its reputation for happiness and fun, its decision-makers need to ensure its eagerness to allow fans to enjoy themselves is not opening the door to attention seekers eager to take the limelight away from the true stars of the show.