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MELBOURNE, Australia — Count Novak Djokovic in Daniel Collins’ corner. He thinks his reaction to the cheering fans at the Australian Open was just fine — the way Djokovic has fought back and forth with hecklers at his matches, including most recently at Rod Laver Arena, should come as no surprise.
So often stereotyped as a genteel, country club sport, tennis has been letting loose lately. Some spectators are louder and more confrontational than ever, and some players are increasingly giving as good as they get, willing to engage with people in the seats and not let things go.
Djokovic, who has won 10 of his 24 Grand Slam titles at Melbourne Park, has been doing it for a while now, not shy about telling people he needs to relax if they cross a line by saying certain things during his matches. It happened again during his third-round win, almost 24 hours after Collins was booed by the thousands watching his victory over his Australian opponent at the Kia Arena.
Collins then doubled down on the opposition at his press conference.
“I liked his reaction. I liked it. What he said on the court, off the court. Big fan of Daniel Collins after that. I was before. But now? Big fan. I like it,” Djokovic said with a smile. Heard people comment that he shouldn’t have said that. I think he handled it really well, and I know exactly the feeling. So I think he was funny. “
And then, if his position wasn’t entirely clear, Djokovic repeated: “A big fan of what he’s done. Big fan.”
Right after her 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-2 victory over Destanee Aiava, 2022 Australian Open runner-up Collins blew a kiss to the boos and asked them, “How’s that?!” The 31-year-old from Florida, who won two NCAA tennis titles at the University of Virginia, went after them during his on-court interview and when he spoke to reporters afterward.
“When I finally got up to speed, I thought, ‘Well, if I’m out here for 2 1/2 hours, hanging out with all these people, I might as well take a big paycheck, right? I’m very happy to do that,'” Collins said. “One of the greatest things about being a professional athlete is that the people who don’t like you and the people who hate you, they actually pay your bills. It’s kind of a cool idea. … That every person is here to make fun of me. Tickets bought or whatever they’re doing, it’s all going to the Daniel Collins Fund. Yeah, bring it on I love it.”
In a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 win over No. 26 Tomas Machak, Djokovic got into it a bit with a man in the stands. When it was over, Djokovic put his hand to his ear and gestured, “Now what do you have to say?!”
A voice called out later during Djokovic’s on-court interview, so he responded, “Sorry, mate. I’ve got a wife. We can have a drink though.” And then Djokovic added: “Maybe you already had a few.”
“I’m happy to have a drink with him now that the match is over,” Djokovic said. “I think we can reflect pretty well what we’ve said to each other.”
In his press conference, Djokovic noted that tennis “has a history and tradition that we are proud of and that makes our sport different from other sports” but acknowledged that some changes would be in order, to add something to a sport that “maybe” about something. conservative.”
Perhaps music and dancers between sets, the way NBA games provide entertainment during breaks in the action, for example.
But Djokovic drew the line by yelling during the game.
“For my part, it’s not going to be easy to go from one end to the other,” he said, “and let everyone say what they want to say—shout while talking.”
But if they do now, it seems clear Djokovic thinks athletes can respond.
