Australian Open fans “disgrace” themselves again by booing an injured Novak Djokovic, while Jannik Sinner brushes aside Ben Shelton despite debilitating cramps.
- Men’s final set: Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner win their semis
- Novak’s future: Djokovic facing his ‘biggest enemy’ in hunt for 25th slam
- Today’s live blog: Join the ABC Sport team from 5:30pm (AEDT) for all the action
Here are the quick hits from day 13 of the Australian Open.
1. Djokovic booed off court by ‘classless’ fans
After witnessing a nail-biting first-set tiebreak, the cheers for Alexander Zverev soon turned to stunned silence as Novak Djokovic offered his hand in resignation, bringing an end to his hopes of winning a 25th grand slam.
Once the announcement came from the chair umpire that Djokovic was retiring with an injury, there were gasps. But some booed.
As Djokovic walked off the court, waving to fans and holding up his thumbs, most cheered the 10-time champion at Melbourne Park, but the boos raining down on Djokovic were noticeable.
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“Please guys, don’t boo a player when he goes out with injury,” Zverev said in his on-court interview.
“Novak Djokovic is somebody that has given this sport, for the past 20 years, absolutely everything of his life.”
Former world number one and seven-time grand slam champion John McEnroe was unimpressed with the booing while commentating for the Nine Network.
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“They can’t be booing him, for God’s sake. He has won this 10 times. Unreal,” McEnroe said in commentary.
Former Australian Davis Cup player John Millman, also speaking on Nine, said it was disrespectful.
“The crowds have been questioned a lot and rightly so,” Millman said on Nine.
“I don’t care how much you’ve spent on your ticket, have some respect.”
2. ‘A bird pooped on the court’
A ball kid had to get rid of the excrement. (Getty Images: Cameron Spencer)
Ben Shelton would have needed a mountain of luck to get back into his semifinal against Jannik Sinner while down a set with the world number one serving for the second at 5-2.
And the American, if you believe in that sort of woo-woo, almost got it when a bird narrowly missed dropping its mess on his head.
Shelton had to stop Sinner from serving at 15-0. He knew it was an annoyance but summed it up: “A bird pooped on the court.”
He checked his hair to make sure he was clean as a ballkid rushed out with a towel to mop up.
3. Jannik Sinner on the pickle juice
Jannik Sinner needed some hydrating beverages in the third set against Ben Shelton. (Getty Images: Hannah Peters)
Jannik Sinner looked ready to fall over and out of the Australian Open as he shook and the blood drained from his face in the fourth round against Holger Rune.
But, with the help of a controversial medical timeout, he managed to recover and beat the 13th seed in four sets before showing no signs of illness as he wiped out Australia’s Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 in their quarterfinal.
Despite scoring another straight-sets win in his semifinal against Ben Shelton, Sinner appeared to struggle physically at various points on Friday night.
He was gasping for air after some long rallies in the first set, and in the third the Italian started to walk like he had a rat under his cap controlling his every move.
A long rally left Jannik Sinner gasping for air on the court in the first set. (AP: Ng Han Guan)
In fact, it was a nasty case of cramp but, Sinner being Sinner (aka: the world’s best tennis player), he shortened the points with pure power, held serve and broke Shelton for a 3-2 lead.
At the change of ends his team ran out a couple of drams of pickle juice and other hydrating concoctions for him to drink while the trainers massaged his thighs.
It must have worked as he broke again and didn’t lose another game for the rest of the match.
What is pickle juice and why do athletes use it?
For what it’s worth, pickle juice isn’t used for hydration and for the most part, isn’t actual pickle juice but a replica of it.
The drink contains sodium, potassium and vinegar, and while many assume that those help replace lost nutrients in cramping muscles, what it actually does is trigger a reflex in the mouth that sends a message to those muscles to cut the cramping out.
Studies show it helps stop cramping up to 40 per cent quicker than water alone.
4. Murray leaves Djokovic partnership future up in the air
Andy Murray has said he has learned a lot in the trial period on Novak Djokovic’s coaching staff.
He and Djokovic have yet to confirm if the partnership will continue, but when speaking on the experience yesterday, Murray seemed to use past tense.
“I’m fully aware that the team that is with him has done an incredible job over many, many years to allow him to still be competing at this level at the age that he’s at,” the Scot said.
“They’ve been really helpful to me … it’s been great to be a part of.”
He added that he feels embarrassed to be receiving credit when Djokovic wins a match.
“At times it feels a little bit embarrassing that because of my relationship with Novak, how much people talk about that or when there’s a good result or a good performance that it’s because I’ve helped him,” he said.
Whether or not the partnership continues, it has been interesting to see once former foes become a team.
5. What times are the big matches today?
There are nine finals to be contested on the penultimate day of the Australian Open.
The headline act of a terrific day of tennis is the women’s singles final between Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys, scheduled for 7:30pm AEDT.
Here is a full list of the finals today:
- Women’s singles
- Men’s doubles
- Men’s wheelchair singles
- Women’s wheelchair singles
- Quad wheelchair singles
- Junior boys’ wheelchair singles
- Junior girls’ wheelchair singles
- Junior boys’ singles
- Junior girls’ singles
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