More details have emerged as to why rowdy Australian Open fans interrupted the official post-match presentation by booing tennis chiefs.
Tennis Australia executive Jayne Hrdlicka faced a tough crowd when she took to the podium following the men’s final at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday night to commend the hundreds of players who battled it out in the Melbourne grand slam over the last fortnight.
She was forced to pause her speech several times after being drowned out by the vocal crowd who have faced challenging times in the last 12 months during the coronavirus pandemic.
Ms Hrdlicka sparked controversy early on in her address by mentioning the coronavirus vaccine rollout, which began in Australia on Monday.
Her comments were met with a few boos from a small section of the crowd which were eventually drowned out by cheers and applause.
The boos became even louder a minute later as Ms Hrdlicka began thanking everyone who worked tirelessly making the delayed tournament possible.
Among the first to be thanked was the Victorian government, which has come under heavy fire for three lockdowns in the last 12 months.
Tennis Australia executive Jayne Hrdlicka (pictured) was booed during her speech after mentioning the advent of the Covid-19 vaccine and the Victorian Government
‘The top of that list is the Victorian government, without you, we could not have done this,’ Ms Hrdlicka said as loud boos erupted.
Tennis fans missed five days of live action during the tournament after Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews imposed a snap lockdown across the state due to a virus outbreak at quarantine hotel the Holiday Inn.
Players competed in empty arenas last week before limited crowds were given the green light to return to Melbourne Park for the the final four days from last Thursday.
The latest confinement came just three months after Melburnians spent much of the second half of 2020 in a 112-day lockdown in the wake of the state’s horror second wave of the virus.
Ms Hrdlicka patiently waited for the crowd to settle down as she tried to press on.
‘When you’re finished,’ she said.
She ended her speech shortly afterwards with a thinly-veiled swipe at the crowd.
‘You are a very opinionated group of people, but whether you’re at home or here tonight, we are really thankful that you’re here. We look forward to seeing you next year,’ Ms Hrdlicka said.
Jayne Hrdlicka was addressing the rowdy crowd after Novak Djokovic (pictured) beat Daniil Medvedev to secure his ninth Australian Open title
The crowd has sparked worldwide condemnation from commentators outraged by the poor display of etiquette.
‘These fans booing are disgraceful! Honestly!!! Grow up!’ retired Australia tennis player Rennae Stubbs tweeted.
But federal Senator Matt Canavan didn’t think too much into it.
‘I’ve been at sporting events and it’s sort of an Australian tradition to boo politicians and as you say, politics and once a few people started, others join in and that is mob behaviour,’ he told the Today show on Monday.
‘So I don’t think we take too much away from that. People are just having a bit of fun.’
The large section of the crowd responsible for marring the award ceremony were slammed online by commentators from around the world
But many commentators and journalists were unimpressed.
British Journalist James Chau said the behaviour was ‘disheartening — and frankly, ridiculous’ while sports broadcaster Shane McInnes called it ’embarrassing’.
‘And so ends the 2021 Australian Open, with the crowd booing vaccines as Djokovic raises the trophy. It was a weird-ass five weeks in Australia, tennis,’ said New York Times reporter Ben Rothenberg.
Tennis writer Stuart Fraser described those responsible for marring the award ceremony as ‘morons’.
The uncomfortable trophy presentation came after Novak Djokovic outclassed Daniil Medvedev in straight sets to claim his ninth Australian Open win.
Controversy plagued the event before it even began, with some accusing Australian artist Gordi of singing ‘the worst national anthem ever’.
The backlash quickly followed on Twitter over Gordi’s performance, which included her accidentally singing the outdated lyrics of ‘young and free’.
‘The worst Australian anthem ever. Where’s the passion?,’ one person said.
‘Are there no singers in Australia? Why such ridiculous and disappointing delivery of the Australian anthem at a big event,’ another quipped.
Tennis Australia executive Jayne Hrdlicka (pictured) was interrupted by unruly fans several times during her address at the post-match presentation
Gordi’s performance was ridiculed on social media, with one calling it ‘disappointing’ and others ‘the worst Australian anthem ever’
A night of controversy: Before the match began, Australian singer Gordi was blasted for singing ‘young and free’ during a strange rendition of the national anthem
Gordi, whose name is Sophie Payten, recently took a break from her musical career to work in Australia on the Covid-19 frontline as a medical doctor.
Before her controversial performance, she revealed it would be the first time she had ever sung the national anthem at a major event.
‘Last time I sang the national anthem in front of a crowd it was to perhaps 30 people in Canowindra’s Morris Park when I was 11,’ she wrote online.
‘In a small step up I will be performing the anthem at the Australian Open men’s and women’s final this weekend. Hazaar.’
The lyrics of Advance Australia Fair were recently amended by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, changing from ‘for we are young and free’ to ‘for we are one and free’.
The national anthem followed on from a performance of ‘Welcome to the Rock’ from the cast of the musical Come From Away.
The musical tells the true story of thousands of stranded passengers who were welcomed in a small town in Canada, but viewers were baffled by the odd choice of musical performance before a tennis match.
‘Welcome to the weirdest closing ceremony/show ever,’ one person wrote on Twitter.
Another said: ‘I’m all for supporting the arts, but the Come From Away performance was bloody jarring ahead of the Australian Open’.
Sunday’s finals showdown was also marred by two women being ejected from the venue by security after interrupting play.
One of the women was wearing a t-shirt which said ‘free them all’ on the front and ‘end systemic racism’ on the back.
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