Margaret courts a stir with phone pas

There are few former players whose presence at the Open can cause quite the stir as Margaret Court.

On Tuesday afternoon Court committed one of the few unforgivable sins during a tense match between Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz: her phone went off.

Margaret Court watches the men’s singles quarter-final at Rod Laver Arena.Credit: Getty

Perhaps not her gravest offences against the world of tennis, it did surprise the crowd and AO organisers who, just a few hours before, told this masthead that to their knowledge Court wasn’t in attendance.

The appearance of Court, a committed Christian controversial for her right-wing views, was not officially announced by the AO. But there she was back at Rod Laver Arena in the front row at the “Melbourne” end, in esteemed company, too. Sitting one row behind in a tight blue polo was Australian tennis legend Pat Cash.

CARLITOS’ WAY: PUSHBACK OVER CARLOS ALCARAZ’S FEMALE PLAYER FUMBLE

Carlos Alcaraz may well have spent Tuesday binge-watching some female stars play the game.

That is following a post-match brain fade on Monday when Alcaraz was offered a free hit by former tennis great turned commentator Jim Courier, who asked him which female player he most enjoyed watching at this year’s Australian Open.

Carlos Alcaraz in his fourth round.Credit: Getty

Perhaps due to the language barrier (English is not his first language), or a day of stress and playing, the 20-year-old Spaniard couldn’t think of a single female player he admired watching.

When pressed by Courier, the best Alcaraz could say was, “Well, I watch [Women’s Tennis Association] as well”, which prompted uncomfortable laughs from the crowd.

“When I can, obviously, when I turn the TV on … ah, if WTA, ATP, whatever, I like to watch it, obviously.”

The memory loss caused a mini-furore for the until-now squeaky-clean image of the newly anointed Prince of Tennis, whose takedown of Novak Djokovic has commentators in relative agreement that he is the future of the sport.

Though Alcaraz may not realise it yet, being world No.1 or 2 is sometimes akin to being a politician. There is a need to be able to hit those crucial talking points under pressure.

Obviously, Alcaraz isn’t someone who needs advice on how to hit points under pressure. On Monday night, he dispatched Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic and kept him to a bagel in the final set.

But if he can nail these open court volleys in post-game interviews, it might make the ascension from prince to king smoother.

Call me Dumbledad: Andy Murray embraces losing.Credit: Instagram

WIZARD MURRAY EMBRACES FAILURE

There is always a silver lining, the saying goes, and nobody is embracing that ethos more enthusiastically than first-round loser Andy Murray.

Fresh from washing out against Tomas Martin Etcheverry in straight sets, Murray shared a selfie on Instagram on Monday, trading his trademark cap for a Harry Potter-style witch hat.

“One of the huge advantages to losing in the first round of the Australian Open is getting to play Harry Potter dress up at 5.30am on a Sunday with my daughters,” he said, labelling himself “Dumbledad” in the post.

Personally, we think it’s a step in the right direction.

The loss left Britons pinning their hopes on Cameron Norrie, who made it into the last 16 of the Open for the first time before being beaten in five sets on Monday night.

PROTEST AT HOME AT OPEN

Whenever a protester is ejected from the Open, the loud cheers that erupt from the audience seem to suggest that protests are not part of the #AusOpen experience.

The most recent example is the Free Palestine protester who threw pamphlets on the court on Monday night before outraged fans intervened and handed her to security.

It occurred to this column, though, that protests are as much a part of the Open as sunburnt tourists, sponsorship saturation and state government funding disputes.

A protester throws Free Palestine leaflets onto Margaret Court Arena on Friday night.Credit: AP

Just think back to last year when Drew Pavlou, a renowned anti-China activist and former Senate candidate, got into it with Open management about wearing T-shirts bearing the slogan, “Where is Peng Shuai?”, the disappeared Chinese tennis star.

Or when legends Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe were involved in an on-court protest against Margaret Court in 2020.

This week, Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, knocked out of the tournament by Ukrainian 23-year-old Dayana Yastremska, refused to answer a question about the on-court impact of the Russia-Ukraine war.

And speaking of Russia, last year, four Open attendees were evicted and questioned by police after they waved the Russian flag – as well as placards of the Russian president – and threatened security guards.

Tennis fans might recall the crowd booing former prime minister Scott Morrison at 2019’s Open. Morrison even labelled the chorus of boos a “great tradition”.

It would seem politics and protests aren’t an aberration at the Open – they’re a quintessential part of it.

DJOKER DREAMS OF BELGRADE

As Djokovic continues his quest for a record 11th Australian Open title, the Serbian, known for kissing the court where he has tasted success so many times over the years, is thinking of another locale that brings him happiness.

Djokovic dreams of Belgrade.Credit: Eddie Jim

Djokovic is based in Monte Carlo and spends much of his year on tour, but wishes he could visit his native Belgrade more. Ahead of his match on Tuesday, he spoke to Serbian media at Melbourne Park.

Asked whether he ever felt burdened, Djokovic told the Sport Klub website: “No, not really … Only perhaps when I want to experience moments of normal life, such as taking a walk in my home city, which I can’t remember when I last did. To enjoy ordinary moments which mean a lot to me – to watch the sunset from the Kalemegdan Fortress [in Belgrade] next to The Victor [monument].

“Those are things I miss and things I cannot do right now due to the nature of my job and fame.”

The world No.1 said he always tried to represent Serbian culture, language and customs in a good light and was grateful for the people’s support.

With Selma Milovanovic

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