Tales from Australian Open’s raucous party court: Verbal abuse and ‘disturbing’ behaviour from drunken fans has left some players uncomfortable – but others love it!
For the remaining singles stars in the men’s and women’s draws, there will be no greater stage at the Australian Open than the Rod Laver Arena.
The tournament’s biggest show court, named in honour of their country’s multiple Grand Slam winner, will play host to the remaining finals – where stars will have to contend with a rowdy home crowd, regardless of the opposition.
British No 1 Jack Draper is among the players who has pointed out what is needed to perform well in front of an Australian audience. A ‘thick skin’, as Draper noted after his 2025 showdown with home favourite Thanasi Kokkinakis.
But while playing on the Rod Laver Arena comes with its own massive pressures, nowhere in Melbourne Park is a thicker skin needed than on Court 6 – the tournament’s infamous ‘party court’.
One of the smaller courts within the complex, there was little to distinguish Court 6 from the other non-show courts Down Under until two years ago, when tournament director Craig Tiley announced the creation of a courtside bar in a bid to create an ‘elevated experience’ for fans.
From the two-storey structure, which flanks the court, fans and influencers alike can sip sponsored Grey Goose ‘Lemon Ace’ cocktails at AUD $23 (£11) a pop and enjoy snacks from Melbourne eatery Porcine Bistro.
The Australian Open turned Court 6 into a ‘party court’ with the addition of their Courtside Bar – and there are more than a few detractors
The site has attracted influencers and fans alike with the tournament looking to provide an ‘elevated experience’ for those taking in a day of tennis
Tournament organisers may have hoped to attract a more refined punter with Courtside Bar’s investment in high-end bites including leek and lobster quiches (£16.80), tomato and cucumber salads (£10.62) and truffle honey custard tarts (£6.85).
Indeed, this year’s bar offering was even launched the week before the start of the tournament, with a special party for Melbourne based influencers which offered roving caviar and fried chicken stations, Grey Goose bottle-toting waiters parading through the throng of guests, and DJ sets as the sun went down on Melbourne Park.
But the reality of bringing bar-going fans closer to the action has given rise to a unique atmosphere which couldn’t be further from the hushed, respectful quiet of the hallowed lawns of Wimbledon.
Yulia Putintseva – who has already carved out a reputation as one of the bigger ‘brats’ on the tour – was bowled over by its wall of sound and chatter within minutes of starting her first-round clash with Brazil’s Beatrice Haddad Maia.
Making her feelings clear to the umpire, Putintseva’s protestations proved catnip for all fans – not just those supporting her Brazilian opponent – with the Kazakh player subjected to a chorus of boos.
Credit to Putintseva, though, for her reaction to her win as she celebrated by shaking her body as if she was on the dancefloor and performing an over-the-top bow to the crowd that saw her dubbed a ‘first-class s*** stirrer’.
In the eyes of French star Arthur Rinderknech, who played on it in 2024, rowdy Court Six is more akin to a nightclub than a venue for high-quality tennis.
Rinderknech took umbrage with the roughly 400 fans stationed at the bar, shushing them at various points. In fact, he almost lost his temper completely, firing a ball in the direction of a ball kid.
In his post-match interview, Rinderknech alleged that he had been subjected to a torrent of abuse from the stands.
‘Some stupid – I won’t even say the country – guys that were drunk were shouting at me every time I was missing my first serve, and I don’t think that’s really correct,’ he shared.
Yulia Putintseva tangoed with the hostile crowd just hours into the start of this year’s event
Some of the snacks on offer as punters take in the tennis include lobster and leek quiches (left) and foie gras parfait
The bar was even launched the week before play commenced with a party for influencers which featured roving caviar and fried chicken stations
‘Only in the fifth (set). I don’t think that was really correct and the ref didn’t say anything about it; maybe once. But I don’t think it was really fair, so I told them nicely to stay quiet and not do this kind of thing, because I don’t think that’s respect.’
‘I mean, we’re playing in a nightclub,’ he added. ‘That’s OK. I thought it was only in the US Open we could play in a nightclub.
‘It happened today for four (hours) – I don’t even know how long we played. It was just food, drinks, laughing, talking, music, different music. Everything was happening on the court.’
Other players, like then-couple Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa have been in less of a mood to see the funny side of playing bar-side.
While Tsitispas complained that the hijinks of those drinking and enjoying themselves in the stands had an impact on his ability to focus, Badosa went a step further.
‘It’s not very comfortable for the players to play there,’ she stressed after her meetings on the court with Taylor Townsend and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in an unlucky twist of scheduling fate.
‘In my opinion, I don’t really like it because there’s a lot of noise, as I said. I mean, my opponent in the first round and now also complained.
‘It’s not very comfortable. I cannot listen to my team either if they want to say something or if I want to talk to them. Even during the points, it’s quite noisy. I don’t know if it’s going to work in the future.’
But no player had it worse in the bar’s debut year than Pavlyuchenkova, who during her defeat to Badosa had to endure some more ‘disturbing’ behaviour.
‘It was super loud, like in the restaurant basically, people talking and eating and drinking. I don’t know if they even watched the match,’ she complained.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova was an early victim of the court’s new atmosphere as fans started meowing at the player
‘There were a couple of guys, I think they got drunk and they started to scream and meow (at me), I think maybe because I have this tattoo on my leg (which reads meow) or just because of course they had some drinks and so it was really disturbing.
‘It was not nice to be honest. I was really annoyed at the start of the match. I have no problem playing on the outside courts, but this one was special in terms of the noise and also the court.’
For Pavlyuchenkova, it wasn’t tennis. But the organisers were undeterred and the following year Court 6 appeared to have learned no lessons.
If anything, things had got worse. During British star Jacob Fearnley’s match against Arthur Cazaux, the volume was turned up so loud that another match on Court 8 – between Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina – had to be moved during the first set of their match.
But Court 6 protagonist Fearnley appeared mostly unbothered by the hubbub after beating his French opponent, even if he realised most of the supporters for the late-night tie were ‘extremely drunk’.
‘I actually didn’t really look at the court before I went on, so when I saw the bar, I was thinking it’s going to be a pretty rowdy atmosphere’, Fearnely admitted. ‘But as I settled into the match, I kind of blocked it out as much as I could.
‘There was one guy, actually, who was extremely vocal on the bar side. At first, I couldn’t tell if he was trying to psych me out – but then I realised he was on my side.’
Perhaps it speaks to a uniquely British attitude to public drunkenness that Fearnley did not seem too ruffled by the experience. Fearnley’s fellow countryman, Cameron Norrie, even welcomed a return to Court 6 after his win against Emilio Nava last week.
‘I would say (it is) the best atmosphere at the Australian Open,’ Norrie said after bypassing the American in four eye-wateringly close sets. ‘The big question is: where’s the after party?’
But some stars like Cameron Norrie have thrived in the challenging circumstances, turning it into another weapon in their game
He added that he ‘could look anywhere, and someone was getting fired up’ for him – showing the power of harnessing the unruly crowd and even using it against your opponent.
Like it or loath it, Court 6 will be going nowhere. Just as the US Open has turned their custom Grey Goose ‘Honey Deuce’ cocktail into as much a symbol of the tournament as Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner lifting the trophy, the commercialisation of the Grand Slams, and their emphasis on fan experience, will only grow.
‘It’s a sign that the times are changing a little bit,’ retired Australian tennis player John Millman noted after playing doubles on the court in 2024. ‘It’s high entertainment, the consumers and the patrons are the ones that are paying the bills and I think the players have got to live with it.’
‘It’s just the reality of playing tennis in this day and age. It’s gonna be a bit more wild than it used to be. It’s definitely a lot more wild than what it was when I first started playing but it’s a lot of fun.’
As for those players who can’t take the heat? They will have to move with the times and learn to block out the racket (pardon the pun).
Not that all players are intimidated by the Australian atmosphere.
‘No, you’re fine,’ Bublik said as he waved off the idea that playing Australian No 1 Alex De Minaur had been a tough test. ‘You should play a Frenchman at Bercy.
‘I believe there’s nothing like it. There’s nothing at that level. You can’t be as hated as when you play a Frenchman at Bercy.’
