Dress code fail: Titmus and Boxall trade volleys over tennis fashion

Dean Boxall is a rough and ready Australian legend who coached swimming star Ariarne Titmus to Olympic glories, and the pair are still great mates.

To the extent that they are unafraid to sledge each other.

Ariarne Titmus bending the O dress code.Credit: Tennis Australia/Fiona Hamilton

Titmus, who is commentating for Nine, owner of this masthead, was invited to attend Tennis Australia’s exclusive invitation-only dinner at O, the corporate hospitality eyrie nestled at the top of Rod Laver Arena last Friday. Boxall, who later watched Cruz Hewitt play doubles, was her plus one. Note: O has a strict dress code – no denim, no shorts, no tracksuit pants.

Things swiftly went south when the pair arrived at reception.

“I did catch up with Dean in Melbourne, and don’t get me started on his fashion sense,” Titmus told this masthead.

Dean Boxall (centre) at Rod Laver Arena. Not pictured: his Ralph Lauren trousersCredit: Getty Images

“He didn’t get let into the function at the tennis the other day because he didn’t fit the dress code.

“I do catch up with Dean often, though. We don’t speak about swimming, really. We’re just good friends, and I love that about our partnership.”

When Open Season connected with Boxall to relay these quotes, he spluttered into the phone: “So what, has Titmus dropped me in it?”

Boxall, famous for his passionate poolside celebrations, told Open Season: “It [the invitation] says no shorts, and Titmus is wearing shorts. She wasn’t turned away because she is the gold medallist.”

Alas, the coach’s trousers were deemed unsuitable.

“They had to go and get me some pants – Ralph Lauren, is that how you say it? I don’t know that brand.”

Boxall asked for size 32 but was given size 34. Handily, attendants were able to fix the wardrobe malfunction with an item possessed by every staff member – three AO lanyards, which served as a makeshift belt.

“She’s texting me, ‘This is the fanciest dinner – you have to dress up,’” Boxall said. “And she turns up in shorts and a midriff. I thought it was ’80s Pamela Anderson stuff.”

And what about the tennis? “I thought it was fantastic – one of the best,” Boxall said.

Ash Barty stays mum

Around Melbourne Park today as preparations began for Novak Djokovic’s first match back after his spat with Channel Nine sports presenter Tony Jones, opinions were divided on whether Djokovic had overreacted to Jones’ comments by refusing to give a post-match interview.

Daisy Pearce at a Women in Sport panel event.Credit: Tennis Australia/Fiona Hamilton

AFLW West Coast Eagles coach Daisy Pearce, a guest of Emirates for the day, has experienced both sides of the coin as a player and media commentator.

“Tony will love it because it will give him another year’s worth of chat and being in the commentary,” she said. “I don’t think it would be much skin off his nose.”

Pearce said of Djokovic’s reaction that “to see anyone standing up for what they believe in, I can always respect that”.

“I think as an athlete, I always respected how much of a role the media played in promoting and bringing interest to your sport, so was happy to turn up,” she said. “But I understand if it’s something really important to him why he might have taken the stand that he did.”

Former Melbourne Cup-winning jockey-turned trainer Michelle Payne said it was fair enough that Djokovic had taken Jones’ comments to heart.

“We put ourselves on the line out there as athletes,” she said. “You feel any kind of criticism.”

Payne said she was a fan of Jones and his work and he had always been lovely towards her.

Staying mum: Ash Barty refused to answer questions during lunchCredit: Chris Hopkins

“You can’t blame [Djokovic] taking it strongly to heart when you work so hard,” she said. “I don’t think he’s overreacted.”

Former world No.1 and former Australian Open champion Ash Barty did not want to weigh in on the controversy, refusing to answer questions about it during a brief appearance in the Emirates marquee.

Barty is expecting her second child with husband Garry Kissick this year, after having her son, Hayden, in July 2023.

“As an athlete, I used to be the most meticulous, organised person, and now it’s absolutely carnage, chaos, organised chaos to an extent,” she said. “But I love it. I absolutely love it.”

Barty said her son was “a little firecracker” and “very much a boy’s boy” who loved golf, balls and trucks.

“It’s been probably the best part of my life, being able to share this next chapter with my husband, Garry, and to learn along the way,” she said. “We have no idea what we’re doing, but he’s alive, and he’s happy. We are terrified for what is going to come next, but we’ll figure it out.”

Catching Court courtside

Tennis legend Margaret Court was spotted on centre court on Tuesday taking in the quarter-finals.

Court and her husband, Barrymore Court, were guests of Tennis Australia chair Jayne Hrdlicka and sat in the front row of Rod Laver Arena, an appearance that Open Season had earlier tipped.

Tennis great Margaret Court seated next to Tennis Australia chair Jayne Hrdlicka and husband, Barrymore, at Rod Laver Arena.Credit: Penny Stephens

We were confident that Court would not repeat her performance at last year’s Open, when her mobile phone rang loudly during a tense match between Djokovic and Taylor Fritz.

And we were right. Sort of. But our man in the stands reported: “A ball went into the audience, and she caught it, to much cheering.”

Margaret Caught, you might say.

With Tom Decent