IT’S been described as welcome entertainment, hooliganism, and everything in between.
Of course I’m talking about the Australian Open tennis where an insane spike of decibels and party atmosphere has got everyone talking.
Most notably, it’s been the homegrown team ‘Special K’ (Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis) who have stolen the headlines, for better or worse, and creating a vibe more akin a European soccer match or a rave more so than the usual reserved appreciation of tennis fans.
No matter your thoughts on the duo, the crowd or anyone’s behaviour, you can’t deny it’s been gripping viewing.
‘The KKings’, which they should trademark by the way, have brought a real breath of fresh air to the doubles game.
Obviously major tennis fans would already be interested, but how long has it been since casual fans have been this invested in doubles?
It’s absolute chaos and while it might be a more bitter cup of tea to some people, others are paying more attention to tennis than ever before.
It is the same as any other sport, performance art or similar. Who do you cater to the most: The smaller audience who are more heavily invested in the product? Or the larger more casual audience who maybe don’t care as much about the nuances?
I put it this way. My fiancee is someone who has no investment in tennis. I’ve lost count of the times my family has tried to explain the scoring system to her, only for her response to be ‘why’ and for us to realise we don’t actually have an answer for the weird number sequences. It’s just how it is.
I’ve also tried this with cricket but I fear that’s a battle I’m unlikely to ever win.
She then came to me and said she’s been loving what Kyrgios and Kokkinakis have been doing and have found them thoroughly entertaining.
Personally I welcome some of the excessive celebrations. You just have a look at some of the cracking videos going around on social media of fans during the Ashes this year to know this a trend in Aussie sport right now.
To counterbalance that, however, hearing people making noise when a player is about to serve frustrates the absolute hell out of me watching at home, let alone being the player in full concentration. Make the noise but keep it quiet while the players are making their moves.
A number of the players have voiced similar concerns. Russian Daniil Medvedev, who defeated Kyrgios in the second round of singles action, was critical about the “low IQ” of some fans, which is also probably true, especially the ones making noise between points.
It’s also worthwhile considering that post-match interviews come after at least two hours, often more, of strenuous competition where it’s you, lost in your own thoughts, fighting tooth and nail, so considering your responses isn’t always going to be the front of your mind.
Italian Marco Berratini, who made history by becoming the first Italian to reach the Australian Open semi finals, was conducting his post-match interview when a heckle came down from the crowd. That’s not the time to make your presence felt.
He quipped when asked about the crowd: “some of them aren’t really tennis fans, I think”.
An umpire even said during one game that “if you don’t want to watch, please leave” which was the right call. Atmosphere is one thing but disruption is unnecessary.
It’s actually reminding me a little bit of the World Darts League at the moment and if you think people couldn’t possibly have fun watching darts, you’re sorely mistaken. When someone hits the magical ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTYYYYYY, the fans go wild.
So what is the right way to go about it? I don’t think there is a black and white answer. As always it comes down to personal preference.
I remember being a huge Lleyton Hewitt fan as a kid when he’d whip out the old “C’MON!” with the hand flexed back towards his forehead. Some people hated it and thought it was petulant. Others, like myself, found ourselves getting pumped up by our hero.
So this current so-called “circus” may not suit all taste buds, but undoubtedly it’s working wonders for tennis audiences across the country.
OVERTIME RULE NEEDS AN OVERHAUL
I’m lucky that my usual day off collides with NFL football on my TV, and I was absolutely glued to the screen for the wild play-off game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills on Monday.
It was an epic shootout between two of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the league, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, which saw multiple lead changes late and a late Chiefs field goal taking the game to overtime.
While it was a wild ending, it also brought up arguably the dumbest rule in sports. Essentially in the NFL the first team to score a touchdown in knock out games will be the winner and the Chiefs, after calling the toss correctly, did that on their first drive to close out the game 42 to 36.
Don’t get me wrong, some Mahomes magic made it a brilliant comeback, but how is that fair to the Bills? Sure, with 13 seconds left in regulation time they should have closed out the game while leading 36-33, but in these circumstances to not even get a chance in overtime is a robbery of sorts.
I don’t expect this rule to change anytime soon but it absolutely should be nixed.
