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Collins faces boos after TAUNTING crowd | 00:32
For decades, John Cain Arena was long seen as the Australian Open’s most animated and rowdy crowd at the Grand Slam.
Since the introduction of a party-themed Court 6 and its rooftop bar though, that title looks to have changed hands.
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As Germany’s lucky loser Eva Lys and Frenchwoman Varvara Gracheva saw first-hand on Thursday evening while battling for a $290,000 third-round payday, hundreds of tennis fans nestled in court side to what is truly a unique space at Grand Slam tennis match.
Background music played while beer, wine and spirits flowed at a sharp pace across all corners of the two-story complex. Of course, it was all in the name of a good time.
It was Peronis and Baltas and several variations of the Squealing Pig wine label that kept Court 6 patrons ticking along nicely. And if it wasn’t that, it was either a $25 glass of champagne, or mixers with a spirit. Variety was aplenty, and the lines to come in were lengthening by the point.
It goes without saying that alcohol is not the variable that makes the Court 6 experience so different to other courts. The way in which patrons can watch and socialise though, is. Traditionally a sport where noise is frowned upon from start to finish within a point, the vicinity allows fans to put that aside and watch much like you would at the footy or cricket.
While it wasn’t always the case last year, players so far on the court have embraced it wholeheartedly. Hilariously though, its point of difference has caused more of an issue for players not on Court 6 this summer.
The night before Lys and Gracheva battled, Brit Jacob Fearnley, who knocked out mercurial Australian Nick Kyrgios in the first round, was dealt the second-round wildcard that is Court 6. For him this time though, it wasn’t the player he was up against that possessed a loud nature. It was the court itself.
So loud were the patrons who turned out to watch Fearnley and French counterpart Arthr Cazaux, that the neighbouring match between Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina was suspended on Court 8 just seven games into the match.
The latter duo was swiftly moved to Court 7 in an attempt to prevent the surrounding noise from distracting the two players, before the Spanish Davidovich Fokina won in a five-set epic.
“It was a tough match (in) really tough conditions. I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet, but it’s really cool,” Court 6’s Fearnley said post-match after his four-set win.
“I actually didn’t really look at the court before I went on, so when I saw the bar, I was thinking it’s going to be a pretty rowdy atmosphere.
“But as I settled into the match, I kind of blocked it out as much as I could.
“Obviously there was some supporters who were extremely drunk, but it was a great atmosphere.
“There was one guy, actually, who was extremely vocal on the bar side. At first, I couldn’t tell if he was trying to psych me out — but then I realised he was on my side.”
Less than 24 hours later, Gracheva (ranked 69th in the world) and Lys (ranked 128th) battled out a three-set epic in front of a just as social, but slightly less rowdy Melbourne crowd as the German won 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in a match where winning points off your own first serve proved a deciding factor.
“I was always telling myself in the third set: ‘Listen, you could have been home by now, but you’re on court, so try enjoying it (and) try making the best out of it,” Lys told reporters in her post-match press conference after the win. No doubt that she had no trouble enjoying the atmosphere amid an eventual three-set win.
Unsurprisingly, there has been a truckload of good tennis played on Court 6 this Grand Slam. But if even that isn’t good enough for you as a patron, perhaps the opposite view over Melbourne Park is more your scene as you socialise.
If you aren’t watching the tennis at the Court 6 rooftop bar, you’ve got a beautiful view to look out on the other side towards Rod LaverSource: SuppliedThe new best court at the Grand Slam will be home to five doubles matches across the Friday, and no doubt even more as the first weekend of the two-week tournament begins. In its second year as a staple at the calendar year’s first Grand Slam, Court 6 has been a home run with Melburnians and tourists alike.
Just how quickly Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the U.S Open pick up an area of its kind remains to be seen. For now though, Australia will continue to be the trailblazers for a court side drink and chat amid music, all while watching Grand Slam tennis.
