MELBOURNE: After playing doubles with his brother Petros on the Australian Open’s new “party court” on Tuesday, Stefanos Tsitsipas was left pining for the subdued grace of Wimbledon.
Court Six at Melbourne Park currently features a double-decker bar running down one side, echoing the party holes that have grown popular at various golf tournaments. A DJ plays music to accompany the action.
In the more conventional setting of Rod Laver Arena, Tsitsipas prevailed in his opening singles encounter on Monday. However, he was less fortunate in the doubles, losing to Daniel Altmaier and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela 7-5 7-5 alongside Petros.
Neither of the Tsitsipas brothers held the atmosphere responsible for their subpar results, even though they acknowledged it was a distraction (Petros called it a “very weird concept”).
While Stefanos acknowledged that there is always a desire to enhance tennis as a product for entertainment, he noted that any initiatives to allow spectators to roam around and create as much noise as possible at other sporting events would require careful thought.
“You don’t know until you’re a tennis player, when you’re trying to zone in, get in the zone, it’s difficult when you see movement and when you see stuff happening around you,” he stated.
