Rowdy crowd behaviour under spotlight at Australian Open after match is suspended and moved to new court

The football-like atmosphere created by fans at the Australian Open is under the spotlight after rowdy behaviour saw one clash abandoned mid-match. It’s left some players unimpressed and demanding better.

Rowdy crowd behaviour at the Australian Open is under the spotlight again after one British player likened the atmosphere during her second-round loss to a “football match” and noise from the “party” court 6 forced a neighbouring contest to be moved on Wednesday night.

As fans lapped up the atmosphere at Melbourne Park, Britain’s Harriet Dart called for more “respect” towards the players on court and a stricter policy on evicting rowdy transgressors.

Dart’s comments came as fellow Brit Jack Draper revealed he had to block out “quite a lot of abuse from the crowd” during his second-round win over Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis at a rowdy John Cain Arena.

But the rowdy crowd behaviour caused even more disruption on Wednesday night when a clash was suspended mid-match and moved to another court.

Canadian No.29 men’s seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina were seven games into their court 8 match when it was suspended and moved to court 7 due to the noise coming from a neighbouring court.

It came as a result of disruption coming from court 6, nicknamed the “party court” due to its proximity to one of the bars, including a two-storey bar overlooking the court.

Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina engage in discussion with match officials.

Auger-Aliassime and Davidovich Fokina were unable to carry on their second-round clash without interruption as fans loudly cheered on Scot Jacob Fearnley and Frenchman Arthur Cazaux on court 6.

Fearnley was not aware the neighbouring match had been moved until after his clash, but described the atmosphere at the court as “crazy”.

Players leave the court due to rowdy fans, to switch courts

“I only knew that at the end. Someone sent me a Twitter - or an X, sorry - that they got moved,” Fearnley said.

“I didn’t really know who was there. But I had no idea that it was getting moved.

“Honestly, it was so loud that I could barely hear what was going on on the other court. Yeah, I’m sorry if either of those two have any bad blood.

“Hopefully it’s all right. It was a crazy atmosphere.”

The court is abandoned.

Dart was left unimpressed by the crowd behaviour following her three-set loss on court 14 on Wednesday night.

“I felt like I was at a football match. Obviously it’s great to have lots of people there watching and everything but I also think there has to be respect towards both players,” Dart told the BBC.

“I think a few people were about to be kicked out. I can only really compare it to the Billie Jean King Cup and I don’t even think I’ve had it be like that before.

The crowds in this Aussie Open are horrific. Umpires constantly having to tell them to be respectful and quiet. Kick them out.

— Philippa Smallwood (@Pippa35) January 15, 2025

“I think (the umpire) did as best as she could - maybe there should be a stricter policy in terms of it people are doing something, if they do it more than once they are out, but I don’t make those rules.”

While Draper said the atmosphere during his second-round battle against Kokkinakis on John Cain Arena was “electric”, he said the fans at times overstepped the mark.

“It was amazing …. electric atmosphere. You know, obviously getting quite a lot of abuse from the crowd in between the serves the back of the court and all that sort of stuff,” Draper said after his five-set win.

“Sometimes you don’t want to sort of rile them or give it back. But to be fair, it gave me energy doing that.

Great Britain’s Jack Draper in his match against Thanasi Kokkinakis. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

“There were times where I was down, then I come through a tough game. And I was feeling it a little bit. It gave me energy giving it back a little bit. It’s just a bit of fun.

“They are saying stuff at me. It’s nice to sort of just give it like a bit of an ear or something like that.

“(They were saying) some interesting things for sure. You can probably imagine. I don’t want to say.”

Asked if the fans crossed the line, Draper said:

“It’s difficult. Obviously in between serves and stuff, like the whistling, talking. I mean, it’s all fun, but when you are about to serve, it’s really difficult,” Draper said.

“Obviously some of the stuff they’re saying, you know, the back of the court and all that, it’s not easy to play with. It is a bit of fun. I have a thick skin.”.

Fearnley described the experience of playing on a court with a bar as “interesting”.

“I actually didn’t really look at the court before I went on, so when I saw the bar, I was thinking it’s going to be a pretty rowdy atmosphere,” Fearnley said.

“Usually they go together, a bar and a rowdy atmosphere. It was interesting.

“But as I kind of settled into the match, I kind of blocked it out as much as I could. Obviously there was some supporters who were extremely drunk, but it was a great atmosphere, amazing atmosphere.

Australian Open officials have been contacted for comment about the crowd behaviour.