Off-Court Hotheads
Sadly, one of the biggest stories from the first day of the 2007 Australian Open actually occurred off the court. Until today, the Australian Open has been known for the many spirited fans decked out in the colors and flags of their countries and cheering wildly for players from their home country, e.g. the Swedes, Croatians, Greeks, etc. Unfortunately, while the tennis matches were being played, there was a violent off-court altercation between groups of Croatian and Serbian fans. Police were called in and 150 fans were ejected from the tournament. Tennis has heretofore been an example of how sport can potentially ease tensions between countries and this scar on its history will hopefully never be repeated. As Roger Federer said the other day, the Australian Open is the “happy Grand Slam” because players are happy to be back from vacation, see each other again, etc. and that is how it should remain.
|| Comments (0)
