Australian Open boss Craig Tiley opens up about tournament's drinking problem, saying one nationality is much wilder than Australian fans


Dismissing concerns about rude crowd behaviour, tournament boss Craig Tiley believes the Australian Open remains the “happy slam”.

The 2025 Open has been marred by a series of ugly episodes involving rowdy spectators, most notably the booing of Novak Djokovic after the 10-time champion had to withdraw from his semi-final against Alexander Zverev due to injuries.

Mouth taunts towards Danielle Collins during the former women's finalist's second round victory over Australian Destanee Aiava also led Djokovic to agree that some fans had crossed the line.

And spectators who had had a drink on the so-called 'party field' of the tournament forced a neighboring match to be moved due to the noise they were producing.

But Tiley on Sunday ruled out Sunday introducing alcohol restrictions or scheduling changes after disgruntled punters also felt shortchanged after paying big money for short sessions, such as Djokovic's retirement or Jannik Sinner's one-sided victory. about Alex de Minaur from Australia.

“Changing the schedule because you think someone may be non-compliant would not be wise,” Tiley said.

Fan behavior has been called into question once again at the Australian Open

Tournament boss Craig Tiley (pictured with women's singles champion Madison Keys) believes there is no need for drinking restrictions at the Down Under Grand Slam

Tournament boss Craig Tiley (pictured with women's singles champion Madison Keys) believes there is no need for drinking restrictions at the Down Under Grand Slam

'I'm not worried about the behavior of the crowd.

'I was at the Davis Cup a couple of months ago in Malaga and no one complained about the behavior of the crowd there, and you couldn't hear talking.

'The Australian team was against the wall. I was in Spain, but the Italians were going crazy.

'So I have a hard time understanding why people think it's different. That's much worse (behavior).

When asked if the fans had surpassed the mark for this tournament, Tiley insisted: 'The majority, 99.9 percent of the fans, absolutely not.

'I expect controversies. With a million people at the door for over three weeks, if there's nothing, that would be a bit strange.

'There will always be one or two so upset or say something. The same thing last year and the year before.

'But it's not like the crazy amount of evictions we've had. Evictions have been on par with previous years, or less.

“And our officials are instructed very clearly that if they get a call for a stoppage of play, the radio and security go to the people.”

One of several flashpoints with spectators came when sections of the crowd booed Novak Djokovic when he was forced to withdraw from his semi-final due to injury (pictured)

One of several flashpoints with spectators came when sections of the crowd booed Novak Djokovic when he was forced to withdraw from his semi-final due to injury (pictured)

Fans also hit Danielle Collins with mean mouth taunts as she beat Australia's Destanee Aiava, but the American star gave as good as she went (pictured)

Fans also hit Danielle Collins with mean mouth taunts as she beat Australia's Destanee Aiava, but the American star gave as good as she went (pictured)

Also dismissing a newspaper headline that the Open has become 'The Bogan Slam', Tiley strongly believes tournament organizers have struck the right balance between entertaining attendees and ensuring players are respected while on court.

“People writing in probably weren't even here or have an ax to grind about the coup,” he said.

'There will always be one or two people who make it unpleasant for others. That's human behavior.

'So whatever people say the word 'bogan' or that it's not a 'happy bogan', they're definitely not here.

'I want to see more like the amount of fans that come through the door and the energy and enjoyment that they're having is at an all-time high.

'So we're not going to design an event where we're going to keep people silent because then the next question will be: 'Why don't people enjoy it?' ''

Above all, Tiley is adamant, the Australian Open still has its reputation among players as being the best event on the tennis calendar.

“The way I evaluate the tournament is to listen to the comments from the fans, to listen to the comments of the players and to listen to the comments of our team, and again everything has been exceptional,” he said.

'So from a fans' point of view, yes, we've had a record crowd through the gates.

'We don't focus on it, we focus on the quality of the experience and all customer satisfaction scores are the same or better than they were last year.

And on the players side, again, if it's any indication, they thank us publicly, they thank us privately and the number of notes I have, emails or WhatsApp messages that say 'Thanks again', then this is by far the best tournament. '



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By Kevin Rogers

Kevin is a seasoned sports journalist with 15 years of experience covering major leagues, including the NFL, NBA, and MLB. His dynamic commentary and expert game analysis connect with fans across all sports, ensuring reliable and engaging coverage. Phone: +1 (212) 574-9823

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