Alejandro Davidovich Fokina called him an “ignorant drunk” after confronting the crowd during his five-set victory over American Riley Opelka at the Australian Open.
Trailing 2-1 in the fourth set at Kia Arena, Davidovich Fokina rushed to the front row, yelled angrily and waved his finger at a crowd of spectators.
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The referee then came down from his seat, directed the No. 14 seed to step away, and addressed a small group of fans.
“This could happen here or anywhere in the world,” Davidovich Fokina said of the crowd’s behavior.
“So there are four ignorant drunks and there’s nothing I can do about it. That’s it.”
The Spaniard enthusiastically celebrated his 6-3 7-6 (7-3) 5-7 4-6 6-4 victory, shouting to the sky before throwing his hat onto the court and shaking a clenched fist at his team.
Davidovich Fokina was not the only player at this year’s tournament to criticize the crowd.
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During her win over Britain’s Emma Raducanu, Anastasia Potapova angrily yelled “come on” in the direction of the crowd after they shouted something midway through the match, prompting the referee to remind them to keep quiet as the match progressed.
Spain’s Jaume Munar, who beat Dalibor Svcina in five sets in the first round, yelled in frustration when a fan started chanting before he served.
There were problems between players and spectators in Melbourne last year, with Britain’s Harriet Dart saying her second-round defeat was “like a football match” and calling for more “respect” from fans.
Meanwhile, American Danielle Collins was heckled by a hostile crowd during her win over Australia’s Destanee Aiava, although she said she “loved” the atmosphere and blew a kiss when she was booed.
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Last year, when Davidovic Fokina faced Felix Auger-Aliassime, their match was moved from Court 8 after players complained about noise from neighboring pitches.
