Like it was the Australian Open final. Nick Kyrgios vs Novak Djokovic. A sold out Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park. Referees, line judges and ball children.
But the match, last Friday, was just a meaningless practice game three days before the start of the tournament. Nevertheless, the organizers demanded an entry fee of 15 euros. Even for the qualifying games, spectators had to pay three euros for the first time in Melbourne. Many tennis fans feel pulled over the net.
Fans vs Players
“It’s cheeky. Why should we pay to see qualifiers? It’s free for all other major tournaments,” tennis fan Ben annoys.
“At the same time, the organizers have increased the prize money. The players should be happy that – despite Corona – the Australian Open has existed for the last two years. Then why not play for less money instead of taking some from us for qualifying and training games ?”
A 70 million euro financial hole has to be plugged
The man asking Australian Open fans to pay is Craig Tiley, the head of Tennis Australia. After two tournaments under strict Corona regulations, the association urgently needs money. Quarantine hotels, dedicated test centers and a Covid bubble for players, coaches and officials were expensive. The Australian Open 2023 should plug a 70 million euro financial hole.
Even the Russian players are allowed to start
Starting with the list of participants. Serena Williams and Roger Federer have quit, the men’s world number one Carlos Alcaraz has canceled injured. Craig Tiley didn’t want to do without the best Russian players. Unlike Wimbledon, they are allowed to start in Melbourne despite the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“Russian and Belarusian players can participate,” says tournament director Tiley. “But they are not allowed to represent Russia, there are no Russian flags or anthem. They will compete as neutral, independent players.”
Greed for profit and lack of backbone
A total of nine Russian and Belarusian players are seeded in the women’s and men’s singles competition. Daniil Medvedev, last year’s finalist, in Melbourne at number seven.
“This is an insult to all Ukrainians,” said Vasyl Myroshnichenko, the Ukrainian ambassador to Australia. He accuses Tennis Australia of greed and a lack of backbone.
“Currently, prominent Ukrainian tennis players are voluntarily fighting on the frontlines against the Russian invasion. More than 150 of our athletes have fallen so far. As long as Russia is at war with Ukraine, Russian athletes, even under a neutral flag, should be allowed to compete.”
Novak Djokovic’s return angers tempers
But the biggest coup for the tournament organizers is the return of Novak Djokovic. Deported from Australia last year after a very public vaccination and visa scandal, this time he has been back in the country for weeks without much ado. Won the pre-season in Adelaide and is considered a favorite in Melbourne. For many Australians, however, the tournament’s draft horse comes with a stale stable smell.
“Djokovic shouldn’t even be here. He’s been banned from entering the country for three years and that should apply,” says a listener on Melbourne broadcaster 3AW. “We’ve all been through a lot because of Corona. But it’s not right for a man like that to be given preferential treatment.”
The stakes in Melbourne have never been higher. For the professionals it is about record prize money of almost 50 million euros, for Tennis Australia it is about securing the future of the first Grand Slam of the tennis year. And above all about being in the black again.
