“Really? Oh my god, this is the most woke tournament ever.”
That’s the sentence picked up by the microphones on Court 3 on Monday at the Australian Open, as a visibly frustrated Jordan Thompson addressed the umpire during his first-round match against fellow Australian Aleksandar Vukic.
Thompson, who was scheduled to serve in the second set, complained to the umpire about the noise from the crowd.
It was only then that the referee revealed the new policy being tested at the Australian Open.
What has changed?
In previous years, fans could only enter a ground to watch a match when the players changed ends.
The Australian Open adheres to the rules established by the International Tennis Federation, and under these rules:
Players will change ends at the end of the first, third and each subsequent odd-numbered game of each set.
This meant that previously spectators could only enter and find their seats once every two games.
But now the Australian Open is allowing fans to enter after every match, doubling the possible foot traffic in the stands during the match.
Courthouse doors were left open, with reception staff managing entry at their discretion.
Why this change?
Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley said the change was aimed at getting fans into their seats more quickly.
Attendance records were broken at the tournament, with 10,000 more people passing through the gates on the first day compared to last year.
Mr Tiley said the rules on driving and noise remained unchanged.
“Whatever seat you can find, you sit down when the game is on and that’s the wait,” he said.
Craig Tiley says tournament organisers are hoping to get fans into their seats more quickly this year. (ABC News: Kristian Silva)
Mr Tiley described the initiative as a “journey” and said he believed most players would not be bothered by the change.
“The majority of players will agree with that,” he said.
“Some people will be distracted, and we’re going to work with that, and we’re going to go on a journey – a bit like eight years ago when we introduced the digital walls around the stadium.”
What do players think?
Thompson, world number 47, said he had “no idea” about the change and did not understand why it had been implemented.
“How many years have we been playing tennis and then all of a sudden they come at us and can come in without us even sitting down?” Thompson said after his five-set victory.
Jordan Thompson says he hasn’t been informed of a new policy allowing fans to enter after every game. (AAP: Jono Searle)
Thompson said the change was awkward and disrupted the players’ rhythm.
“If someone is walking behind and you throw the ball in the air, it’s impossible to see it because there’s a person moving behind,” he said.
“We’re out in the field, working… we’re not walking into an office and barging in while someone is in a meeting.”
Thompson wasn’t the only player unaware of the new policy.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic also told reporters he was unaware of the change and felt torn by the decision.
“I understand that the goal behind all this is to improve the fan experience,” Djokovic said.
“My whole career and my whole life, I’ve been used to a certain atmosphere, and when it changes, it gets a little complicated… it distracts you a little.”
The world number one admitted that the movement of fans in the stands had an impact on the pace of his first round match against Dino Prizmic.
“We were waiting, my opponent was waiting for them to sit down, it was dragging on a lot.”
Former American world number one Jim Courier said he supported the rule on the sides of the court.
“I’ve been saying this for about a year: It should be open, people should be able to come and go as they please, like they’re going to a basketball game or a football game,” he said.
“The area where you need a little bit of calm, if you will, is just behind your opponent because that’s where the ball is going to come up on serves and shots and you need to be able to focus.
“If there is a lot of movement behind the courts on both sides, it can be a problem for competing players.”
He said the system would need to be tested at some lower-level tournaments to get players used to it before introducing it at a major tournament.
