Scenes inside the ugly Rod Laver Arena quickly turned upside down at the Australian Open cup show last night.
Novak Djokovic had just been crowned champion for the ninth time, dragging his Grand Slam to 18, but the Melbourne crowd were in a rather strange mood.
And they weren’t afraid to let Australian Tennis president Jayne Hrdlicka know about their feelings – especially when it came to topics like the COVID-19 vaccine.
While taking the time in her speech to thank everyone involved in the Australian Open including the main fans and the players themselves, Hrdlicka also visited who will have fun in the future once the coronavirus vaccine is rolled out Down Under.
“With vaccines on the way, distributed in many countries around the world, now is a time for hope and optimism for the future,” she said.
But Hrdlicka quickly realized this was a bad move.
Her comments did not sit well with the Australian Open population at all who responded by picking it up.
As cameras moved, you could see the strange look on her face as she realized that she was dealing with a rather awkward crowd.
But unfortunately for Hrdlicka, the boos didn’t stop there.
Just minutes later, she thanked the Victorian government for its role in ensuring that the prestigious tennis tournament went ahead without too many major blows.
“The top of that list (to be thankful) is the Victorian government, without you we could not have done this,” Hrdlicka said.
But then again, the crowd didn’t have a live bar and a chorus of boos appeared around Rod Laver Arena.
In a desperate attempt to regain the fans, Hrdlicka covered her speech by praising the fans for their continued support – well.
“Another big thank you to our fans,” she said.
3 months ago“All of you have helped to make this a very special event.
“You are very observant of people, but whether you are at home or here at night, we are very grateful that you are here. We look forward to seeing you next time. year. “
Fans on social media were quick to criticize the Australian Open for what they did, calling them a “disgrace” and a “disgrace”.
I can’t believe what I’ve seen. Australia’s last population to pick up Covid vaccine. #AusOpen
– Seumas Gray (@jamesgraysport) February 21, 2021
Shames of shame at this #AusOpen display. Australian leader Jais Hrdlicka tennised with sections of the population as they comment on the spread of the coronavirus vaccine and thanked the Victorian government for the event. In particular, Hrdlicka did not succeed in thanking the people of Melbourne / Vic.
– Isabelle Lane (@isabellelane) February 21, 2021
And so comes the end of the 2021 Australian Open, with the crowd cheering on vaccines as Djokovic picked up the trophy.
Australia was a weird five weeks, tennis.#AusOpen
– Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) February 21, 2021
TA President Jayne Hrdlicka:
“With vaccines on the way out in many countries around the world, now is the time for hope …”Sections of the population:
“BOOOOOOOO”That’s just a shame … anti vaxxers unite #AusOpen
– Shane McInnes (@shanemcinnes) February 21, 2021
That was a very uncomfortable speech. Lots of boos in reference to coronavirus vaccines being released. Bonkers.
– George Bellshaw (@BellshawGeorge) February 21, 2021
Lamenting – and literally, laughing – to hear spectators roar @AustralianOpen when Jayne Hrdlicka, Chairman of Tennis Australia, mentioned vaccines in her speech on the court.
– Seumas Chau (@jameschau) February 21, 2021