Tennis courts and feuds—a duo as classic as strawberries and cream! The Australian Open has lived up to its reputation, not just with jaw-dropping rallies but also with off-court drama that’s got everyone buzzing. From fiery player reactions to loud fans causing chaos, this year’s first Grand Slam has been nothing short of a spectacle. And right at the heart of the action? Some of the biggest names in the game: Danielle Collins, Ben Shelton, Coco Gauff, and Novak Djokovic. So, what’s all the noise about? Let’s break it down.

Danielle Collins vs Rowdy Crowd at the Australian Open

The drama revolving around Danimal began during her second-round match against Destanee Aiava. Despite winning the first set, Collins could not maintain her rhythm and trailed 5-2 in the second set. She made a surprising decision and opted for a medical timeout, before eventually returning and losing the second set. That’s where the drama started to brew. Collins was heavily booed in the match by the Australian rowdy crowd, which even compelled her to say, “Shut up” to the spectators. As booing continued to intensify, Collins was seen blowing kisses in the directions of fans, which seemingly angered them further. 

When Collins was answering the first question after winning the match, the boos seemingly interrupted her flow, and let’s just say, Collins decided to avenge. Taking a dig at her critics, she said, “I was thinking during the match, I’m out of here, I might as well just take that big, fat paycheck. So thank you, guys, thanks for coming out here and supporting us tonight!” This led to a lot of mixed reviews with many supporting her gestures against a rowdy crowd, and many opposing her for starting a banter. But Collins was not the only WTA Player to have faced such an unprecedented situation and joining her was Coco Gauff. 

Coco Gauff responded strongly to naysayers

The American tennis sensation witnessed an unexpected exit at the Australian Open quarterfinals after losing to Paula Badosa in straight sets. Her performance in the match was strewn with errors with Coco Gauff making 28 unforced errors and firing down six doubles faults. This led to a lot of criticism against her on social media but the star player knows how to shut the critics. 

When quizzed during the post-match interview, about how she plans to detach herself from criticisms, Gauff shared an honest opinion. “I guess you just have to realize that most of the internet coaches never coached anyone at my level or never played. So it’s one of those things.” Continuing further, she depicted how she faces such a situation and said, “I take it with a grain of salt.” Now, with WTA Stars finding themselves in hot waters and highlighting their resilience, one may question, ‘What about the ATP Circuit?’ Well, the situation is not much different for male players either. 

Novak Djokovic faces brutal trolling from Australian commentator

The Serbian tennis Maestro finds himself playing better under chaos. But the latest one was something that no one saw coming. The drama started to unfold on Friday, January 17, when Australian Commentator Tony Jones appeared on Nine News and covered fans’ enthusiasm for Djokovic while reading the sports bulletin. What caught the attention was his surprising reaction to the fans as he jeered at them and said, “Novak is overrated. Novak’s a has-been. Novak, kick him out.” This gained him immense flak with the likes of Boris Becker and Nick Kyrgios slamming him for the actions. 

Novak Djokovic too, expressed his disappointment and refused to talk to Jim Courier who works for the channel as its commentator. Later, he justified his decision and Without naming Jones, Nole said, “famous sports journalist who works for official broadcaster, Channel 9 … made a mockery of Serbian fans and also made insulting and offensive comments toward me. I leave it to Channel 9 to handle this the way they think they see fit. That’s all.” Meanwhile, Jones quickly tried to calm the situation and apologized for his behavior sharing that his remarks were just out of fun and did not intend to cause any harm. But let’s just say, while the dust might be settling, there is one person who is quite disappointed and it’s none other than Ben Shelton.

Ben Shelton blasts Australian Open Commentators 

Tony Jones’ gesture against Novak Djokovic was not an isolated incident of commentators surprising fans at the Australian Open. A couple of days ago, enthusiasts witnessed Learner Tien engaging in an interaction with John Fitzgerald after winning his match against Daniil Medvedev. In the interaction, Fitzgerald was seen shoving the mic under Tien’s nose and saying, “Nineteen-year-olds are not meant to be that good.” This confused Tien who gently said, “I mean, I don’t know what to say to that.” Now, such situations seemingly troubled Ben Shelton who did not shy away from expressing his disappointment. 

Speaking about the incidents, the American star said, “I’ve been a little shocked this week with how players have been treated by the broadcasters and I don’t think that the guy who mocked Novak…I don’t think that was just a single event.” Continuing further, he demanded that such situations change and added, “I feel like broadcasters should be helping us grow our sport and help these athletes who just won matches on the big stage. Enjoy one of their big moments and I feel like there’s just been a lot of negativity.” But the tournament is not over just yet.

With the Australian Open continuing in full swing, it will be interesting to see if more players find themselves in a similar situation. Whether you’re Team Collins, Team Shelton, or simply here for the drama, one thing’s for sure: the tennis court is never a dull place!