American Taylor Fritz criticised Australian Open organisers after his third-round defeat by top seed Novak Djokovic was halted for 10 minutes while fans were removed from Rod Laver Arena yesterday to comply with fresh lockdown restrictions.
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.
Tennis: Nick Kyrgios can t cop Novak Djokovic s disrespect
8 Feb, 2021 04:25 PM
3 minutes to read
The Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic rivalry is heating up, off the court. Photos / AP
news.com.au
Nick Kyrgios added another chapter to his long-running feud with Novak Djokovic after the Serbian star said he didn t respect the Aussie wild child off the court.
Kyrgios slammed Djokovic for his conduct during the pandemic. The criticism ramped up as the world No. 1 held an exhibition tournament without any social distancing measures midway through last year, resulting in him and his wife – among others – contracting COVID-19.
Djokovic said before the Australian Open kicked off Kyrgios was a talented player, but off the court, there wasn t much to like.
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