The move by organizers of the Australian Open to give fans more freedom during matches is yet to completely win over the support of 10-time champion Novak Djokovic.
For the first time at this year’s Grand Slam, the crowd is allowed to move after each game instead of being expected to remain in their position until there is a change of sides in the match and to not make any noise. Supporters say that the relaxation of this rule could help attract a younger audience to the sport.
However, Djokovic points out that there is a fine line between trying the new policy and ensuring that the crowd is not interrupting players during their match. The world No.1 did complain about the noise during his roller-coaster four-set win over Dino Prizmic in his opening match on Sunday.
“I understand the motive behind it is to enhance and improve the experience for fans, right? We do play for fans. We want fans to have a great, thrilling experience of being out on the court.” Djokovic told reporters during his press conference.
“(Frances) Tiafoe is one of the players that was saying we should let people freely walk and talk during matches but It’s hard, I must say.”
Djokovic, who made his Australian Open debut 19 years ago in 2005, admits that he finds it challenging to adjust to the new concept as it is different from what he is used to. Although the diplomatic-speaking Serbian says he is not completely against the new rule but argues that there were interruptions to his latest match which slowed down proceedings. Something those in charge at Melbourne Park won’t like hearing amid growing pressure to limit the number of late-night matches.
“I support it to some extent, but at the same time all my career, all my life I’ve been used to some kind of atmosphere,” Djokovic explained.
“When that changes, it kind of messes up, distracts you a bit. Today we lost quite a bit of time when they were letting people in to come to their seats, even though it was not a changeover. My opponent would wait for them to sit down. It dragged a lot.’
“I don’t know if it’s really the best rule, but I do understand from a tournament and fan perspective it’s probably better because they don’t want to wait. They want to come out and enjoy every single point. I’m kind of divided between the two in a way.”
Besides the rule change, Djokovic has a more pressing matter to address. After recent concerns arising about a potential wrist injury, he has now confirmed that he has been unwell in recent days and might skip practice on Monday depending on how he feels. Fortunately, he has a couple of days to rest before playing either Alexi Popyrin or Marc Polmans in the second round.
Djokovic is the second man in the Open Era to have won 90 or more matches at the Australian Open after Roger Federer.
