Australian Open 2022: Miomir Kecmanovic cashing in on Novak Djokovic deportation

Miomir Kecmanovic drew Novak Djokovic in the first round. But after his Davis Cup teammate was deported, he got a ‘second chance’ - one that resulted in a huge payday.

As far as second chances go, this one is a $225,000 doozy.

The controversial decision to deport Novak Djokovic will rankle in Serbia for years to come, but countryman Miomir Kecmanovic has ridden it all the way to the bank and into a career-best grand slam result.

Kecmanovic is the Serbian rising star who has made the most of Djokovic’s absence – vowing to ‘avenge’ the world No.1 Australian exile, and doing so with a series of scalps to reach the Round-of-16 for the first time.

With no Novak, life in the top quarter is a whole lot more palatable.

Kecmanovic hasn’t spoken to his Davis Cup teammate since Djokovic was unceremoniously deported last week – but he might be dropping a little ‘thank you’ text in the coming days.

Had Djokovic stayed – and played – Kecmanovic concedes he would’ve flown out of Melbourne with $103,000, the prizemoney for a first-round loser, in his back pocket.

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Miomir Kecmanovic during his third round victory over Lorenzo Sonego. Picture: Mackenzie Sweetnam/Getty Images

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Instead, he’s got a guaranteed $328,000 and a maiden fourth-round appearance, where he’ll face Frenchman Gael Monfils with a quarter-final berth, and $538,500, on the line.

“I wasn’t too happy - seeing (Djokovic) right away (in Round One),” Kecmanovic told News Corp.

“I don’t think I would’ve had much of a shot. But Maybe I could have caused him some problems.”

“But at the same time, I was also excited as I knew it was going to be a night match, Rod Laver (Arena). There was definitely going to be an exciting match.

“I got a second chance and I am happy I was able to use that.”

Instead, Kecmanovic has rolled through Djokovic’s replacement – lucky loser Salvatore Caruso – then American Tommy Paul and finally an upset win over 25th seed Lorenzo Sonogo.

It leaves 17th seed Monfils ahead of the former junior world No.1, who describes the events of the past week as the craziest of his young career.

“For sure, it’s definitely at the top. But I hope that it’s still not done,” he said.

Proof Aus Open didn’t need to take Djoker risk

If ever there was proof that tennis doesn’t need Novak Djokovic, this week’s Australian Open mounts a compelling case.

Tennis Australia tried to move heaven and earth to get the Serbian superstar to play in this year’s tournament – in some cases risking their careers. But they needn’t have bothered.

Because the Novak Factor has been steamrolled by the Kyrgios Effect in a ratings bonanza for Channel 9 and the Australian Open this week as fans speak with their feet – and their remotes.

Crowds have followed suit, with interest outstripping last year despite the ever-present threat of the Omicron-fuelled Covid fears in Melbourne – and a government-mandated cap on crowd numbers.

Who need Djoker? Aus Open TV ratings have gone through the roof.

There were fears that the absence of Novak Djokovic – on top of the earlier withdrawals of Roger Federer, Serena Williams and numerous other big names – would wipe out interest in the opening grand slam of the year.

But they’ve been allayed by a Nick Kyrgios-inspired spike that has delivered a stunning 45 per cent increase in TV viewers alongside strong crowd numbers.

“It’s been wonderful to see fans from Melbourne, Victoria and around Australia embrace and support the AO with open arms this year,” Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley told News Corp.

“We’ve had terrific crowds, considering the reduced capacity, and demand continues to be strong on the back of the great tennis we’ve seen so far.

“The return of the ground pass has been a huge hit with fans. With perfect weather, the relaxed vibe right across the site – from the AO Ballpark, Grand Slam Oval and Garden Square – is sensational.

“There have been some marquee matches that have done incredibly well, and some great Aussie performances always get a lot of attention.

“It’s going to be a big weekend, and we look forward to an exciting second week, capped off with blockbuster finals.”

For the second year in a row crowds have been operating at a reduced capacity due to state-enforced Covid restrictions – with organisers forced to work under a 50 per cent limit for the main courts.

But they haven’t had any problem getting people through the door – nor getting them to tune in from home.

RATINGS RISE

Two years ago, Kyrgios’ fourth round clash against Rafael Nadal toppled both the men’s and women’s finals as the most-watched match of the entire tournament.

On Thursday, he laid down the marker for this year’s event when had a market share of 30 per cent of all TV viewers in Australia – with a peak of 1.628m watching his enthralling clash with world No.2 Daniil Medvedev – as part of a general upswing in viewer numbers for Nine.

Through four days, the network’s cumulative reach on the tennis is 7.6 million people – up from 5.2 million 12 months ago.

The qualifier here is that last year’s television figures were down 30 per cent on previous years, a factor broadcasters blamed on the tournament being delayed to February from its traditional January timeslot.

It resulted in Channel 9 receiving a $6 million discount on its annual fee – based on the absence of some big names, including tournament favourite Roger Federer who is again not featuring, and the

But significant wins across the first four days of this year’s tournament – thanks in no small part to Kyrgios’ box-office antics and some surprise performance from his Australian compatriots – has Nine shouting from the rooftops.

“We’re thrilled with the ratings across this first week of the AO,” Nine’s Director of Sport Brent Williams told News Corp.

“There’s no doubt the appeal of watching our Australian contingent take to the court is significant, as shown by the blockbuster viewing figures for the Barty and Kyrgios matches.

“Last night’s audience was the highest of the tournament as more than 1.6 million viewers tuned in to watch an incredibly entertaining match between Nick and Daniil Medvedev.

“A further 100,000 viewers streamed the match on 9Now, representing a year-on-year increase of 129%.

“We expect the bumper audiences to continue with Ash playing (on Friday), while fellow Aussies (Alex) De Minaur, (Chris) O’Connell and (Maddison) Inglis are all in action tomorrow.

“And next week, as momentum builds to the finals, all of Australia will get behind the great Dylan Alcott in his attempt to win a historic eighth consecutive and final Australian Open.”

THE CROWDS

Kyrgios’ blockbuster second-round clash with Medvedev, and Friday’s Ash Barty v Camila Giorgi showdown delivered back-to-back Rod Laver Arena sellouts to complement strong ground pass sales throughout the first week.

Along with a boost in crowd numbers from last year – even prior to the snap five-day lockdown that locked fans out mid-tournament in 2021 – one of the noticeable changes, that has brought back the atmosphere at Melbourne Park, has been the removal of the controversial ‘zones’.

The zone system was brought in last year in an attempt to minimise the impact of Covid spread around the grounds, but prevented fans from mingling around the grounds.

But with the zones banished, the fans have returned with 107,328 punters streamed through the gates over the first four days of this year’s tournament.

There’s a hope within Tennis Australia that ground pass sales alone on Saturday could top 15,000.