Australian Open 2021: Fans booted from event just before five-day Victorian lockdown
12 Feb, 2021 05:30 PM
5 minutes to read
Novak Djokovic serves amidst a newly-emptied arena. Photo / AP
news.com.au
Bizarre scenes have struck the Australian Open as Novak Djokovic's epic war against American Taylor Fritz was briefly suspended while fans were forced out midway through the fourth set.
It was already a strange sight to see Djokovic struggling on Rod Laver Arena — but at 11.30pm fans were booted from the venue as part of Tennis Australia's compliance with the five-day Victorian lockdown which began at 11.59pm (AEDT) on Friday night.
The lockdown announcement triggered a day of chaos at Melbourne Park with anti-lockdown protesters flooding the venue to take a stand against metropolitan Melbourne's third hard lockdown.