Australian Open 2025: The end of the affair

At least half the crowd showered #7 Novak Djokovic in boos after the Serb surrendered to #2 Sascha Zverev

ROME — In pro tennis, the four Grand Slam tournaments – the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open – have historically showcased the game at its best. Less often mentioned, they also showcase the game at its worst – although examples of this are usually stifled by the sport’s penchant for omertà. Ugly things happen and are almost instantly ignored. Even in real time, in events covered on international TV, spectators are not urged to believe the commentator’s flatulent remarks, not what they’ve just seen with their own eyes. 

 Case in point, the recently concluded Australian Open. In conventional terms – certainly the terms preferred by the tournament’s promotional apparatus – the event was a straightforward success. In the semifinal, world #1 Jannik Sinner of Italy snuffed out Ben Shelton in straight sets, 7-6/6-2/6-2. Pundits marveled at Shelton’s stark power, especially his lefthanded serve which could create trouble for the most skilled returners. But it was only after the match that a former player, Andy Roddick, pointed out in his podcast that Shelton’s vaunted strength was actually a weakness. Whenever in doubt, he simply served harder. When the ball came back, he blasted a groundstroke at unvarying velocity. For someone of Sinner’s gifts, this made his job immeasurably easier. Since Shelton seldom varied the pace of his shots or their angle or spin, Sinner could prepare early and make a meal of the American’s predictability.  

 In the other semifinal, #2 ranked Sascha Zverev of Germany confronted #7 Novak Djokovic of Serbia. Since the Serb had just come off an exciting victory over Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, fans expected a long, hard-fought match. It was that in the first set which lasted nearly an hour and a half primarily because Zverev seldom took advantage of opportunities to go on the offensive. When he had chances to put Djokovic away, Sascha played tentatively, remaining deep behind the baseline. On ESPN John McEnroe remarked that Djokovic wasn’t playing particularly well. He suggested that there might even be something wrong with him. Yet Zverev continued to play passively on into a tiebreak. Down set point, the Joker rushed the net for what should have been an easy volley. Instead, he butchered the ball, tamely poking it into the net. Then astoundingly he strolled around to Zverev’s side of the court, shook his hand, and surrendered. 

 Naturally fans were confused and many were upset. Djokovic had given no indication he was injured. He didn’t call for a medical time-out, he didn’t consult his coaches, he just quit. And at least half the Rod Laver arena showered him with boos. This provoked several minutes of thumb sucking on the part of TV commentators. A man like Djokovic should never be booed. In an interview after the match, Zverev chastised the crowd. Reiterating the Joker’s many achievements, never once mentioning the elephant in the room. At the age of 37, Djokovic is quite old in tennis terms. And you can say anything you want about a defeated player, except for the fact that he’s old.

 Correction. You can say anything you want about a defeated player except that he’s a sexual abuser. But just as the crowd showed its true feelings by booing Djokovic, there was at least one truthteller among the myriad spectators. After Jannik Sinner brushed aside Zverev 6-3/7-6/6-3 to take his second consecutive Australian Open title, Sascha received his runner-up prize and came to the microphone. A lonely voice in the crowd shouted, “Australia believes Olya and Brenda.” Stunned silence descended upon the stadium and for several long moments Sascha remained mute. These were the names of the two women whom he was alleged to have sexually and violently abused. After a few moments Zverev grinned and scratched his beard and expressed his canned gratitude to his opponent, the umpire, the tournament director, even the ballboys. No mention of the two abused women, no explanation why the awards ceremony had been interrupted. 

 It is noteworthy that Sascha Zverev injected himself with insulin twice during the match. The TV commentators explained that it used to be against the rules to do this on court. Diabetics had to medicate themselves in the locker room. This is progress of a sort, evidence of increasing openness in the sport. But there was no speculation about how Zverev’s medical condition might have affected his on-court performance. Diabetes might account for his up and down performance in big matches, his tendency to race ahead, then sag and fall behind. Since there are also emotional side effects of the disease, the subject might seem to call for deeper expert discussion. But if you’re looking for deeper and for expert, don’t look to tennis commentators.

 

 

 

jlb

 

 

 

 

 

 © COPYRIGHT ITALIAN INSIDER
UNAUTHORISED REPRODUCTION FORBIDDEN