Stefanos Tsitsipas expressed his longing for the serene atmosphere of Wimbledon after playing doubles with his brother Petros on the Australian Open’s newly transformed “party court” on Tuesday. Resembling the party holes seen at certain golf events, Court Six at Melbourne Park now features a double-decker bar and a DJ playing music alongside the tennis action.
After winning his opening singles match at Rod Laver Arena, Tsitsipas and Petros suffered a loss in the doubles, being defeated 7-5 7-5 by Daniel Altmaier and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela. While the brothers admitted that the lively atmosphere was a distraction, they did not attribute it to their performance.
Stefanos acknowledged the desire to enhance tennis as an entertainment product but emphasized the need for careful consideration if fans were to be allowed to move around and make noise, which is common at other sports events.
“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 said.
Stefanos also highlighted the requirement for full concentration in tennis, given the small yellow ball flying around. He expressed his concern about the potential impact of distractions on a player’s performance and called for experiments to be conducted to understand the science behind it.
Petros shared his experience of similar noise on outer courts at other tournaments, including the U.S. Open, while Stefanos emphasized the appeal of Wimbledon due to its silent environment, where players can concentrate and focus solely on their game.
Stefanos concluded by expressing his lack of enthusiasm for the noisy atmosphere, which is why Wimbledon remains one of his favorite tournaments.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Peter Rutherford)
