Security ejects unruly spectators from doubles final
A man was ejected from the stadium during the Australian Open men’s doubles final for calling out as the opponents of crowd favourite duo Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis were about to serve.
The pair joined Matt Ebden and Max Purcell in condemning the behaviour as the game descended into farce late in the second set when the man, along with two other spectators, were ejected from the stadium for calling out as Purcell served.
The eventual champions polarised and challenged and annoyed and upset as much as they thrilled and enthralled and enlivened crowds throughout the tournament. They drew criticism from more than one opponent along the way.
Three spectators were ejected from the men’s doubles final.Credit:Getty Images
The incident in the final came in the ninth game of the second set as Purcell was serving to stay in the match with Kyrgios and Kokkinakis leading by one set and 5-4.
“I don’t think those people who were screaming out before points are produced from us. That’s got nothing to do with us, to be honest,” Kyrgios said.
On a rowdy night where barracking at levels rarely seen in tennis were tolerated, the spectator’s action overstepped the mark. The crowd pointed out the offender as the exasperated chair umpire pleaded for the crowd to settle.
“One or two spectators totally ruining the game by screaming, so please stop,” the umpire said.
Purcell described the crowd as the “naughtiest” he had played in front of and said although the behaviour overall was fine, that incident was unacceptable.
“Even Thanasi and Nick were getting a little angry at them,” Purcell said.
“Yeah, obviously there’s a line where you don’t want to cross it. Obviously, we don’t want people being thrown out, right? If people are doing that then they’re obviously not doing the right thing and respecting the players.”
The match ended a game later when Kyrgios served out the win, with the doubles champion saying the atmosphere their matches created was the best the tournament had seen.
“There is a reason the ratings are the way they are and people are glued to the TV when we play,” Kyrgios said.
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
Most Viewed in Sport
From our partners
Source: Read Full Article