Tennis star brands Australian Open ‘the most ferocious tournament ever’ after rule change angers players in Melbourne

Jordan Thompson has labeled the Australian Open ‘the worst tournament ever’ after the hometown star was left stunned by a new rule change that has angered a number of players.

In his first-round match against compatriot Aleksandar Vukic, Thompson prepared to take a 3-1 lead in the second set as fans continued to enter Court 3.

New rules for the 2024 tournament will allow spectators to enter stadiums between matches, not only when changing ends, but it has also caused problems as there is a shorter break between normal matches compared to changing ends .

As a result, Thompson was left standing and waiting for the fans to find their seats, and after asking the referee to address the deceased fans, he was stunned to hear of the rule change.

“You’re kidding, really? Oh my God,” he said. ‘This is the worst tournament ever.’

The Australian star was unhappy when he couldn’t start his service game

“It’s just not smart,” Thompson added at the end of his service game, as the referee explained the new rules to him.

Thompson leads the round one match two sets to one, 3-6 7-6(3) 6-2.

The Australian was not the only player dissatisfied with the new rule. Reigning champion Novak Djokovic was also stunned to see fans pouring onto the court at an unexpected moment.

The 36-year-old signaled a serve Open organizers about a new rule that will allow fans to move around the stadium between matches, instead of the traditional change of ends.

Djokovic said he was unaware of the new rule and said it had a negative impact on his match and not the positive impact tournament organizers were hoping for.

“I didn’t know anything about that new policy or rule,” he said.

“Look, I mean, I understand the motive behind it is to improve the fan experience, right? We play for fans. We want fans to have a great, exciting experience on the pitch.

Thanks to a new rule, fans are now allowed to enter the stadium at the end of each match

Novak Djokovic was also not impressed by the new rule during his match

‘It’s difficult, I must say. I understand that and support it to a certain extent, but at the same time I have been used to a certain atmosphere my whole career, my whole life. When that changes, it gets a little messy and distracting.

“Today we lost quite a bit of time when they allowed people to come to their seats even though it wasn’t a changeover. My opponent waited for them to sit down. It dragged a lot.

“I don’t know if this is really the best rule, but I understand that it’s probably better from a tournament and fan perspective because they don’t want to wait. They want to come out and enjoy every point.

“In a way, I’m a bit divided between the two.”