"Depressing how quick the crowd is to boo them" - Fans react to Aryna Sabalenka's Australian Open final being interrupted by pro-Palestine protestors
Tennis fans recently reacted to the Australian Open final match between Aryna Sabalenka and Zheng Qinwen being disrupted by pro-Palestine protestors
Sabalenka successfully defended her Australian Open title by defeating Zheng 6-3, 6-2 in just one hour and 16 minutes. The World No. 2 also became the first woman since 2013 to successfully defend her title at the Melbourne Slam.
The last player to achieve this feat was Victoria Azarenka, who claimed consecutive title victories in 2012 and 2013.
During the match, protestors chanted "Free Palestine" and held a Palestine flag, expressing solidarity with Palestinians facing attacks from Israel Defense Forces, causing an unexpected interruption.
This disruption occurred when Zheng Qinwen was about to serve against Aryna Sabalenka in the second set.
Tennis fans took to social media to voice their opinion on the same. One fan expressed their dismay at witnessing the rapidity with which the crowd resorted to booing the protestors.
"Also depressing how quickly the crowd is to boo them," a fan posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Another fan insinuated that there should be no issue with interrupting a high-profile event like the Australian Open final to draw attention to the ongoing genocide in Palestine. According to them, "no business" should be taking place until the genocide is brought to an end.
"Good. No business as usual until the genocide stops," the fan posted.
Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:
Aryna Sabalenka on winning Australian Open 2024: "Super happy and proud of everything I was able to achieve so far"
Aryna Sabalenka, following her win against Zheng Qinwen at the 2024 Australian Open final, expressed her elation and pride in being able to win and defend her title.
Sabalenka also commended her opponent Zheng, stating that she is a "great player" and "very tough opponent" and that she was happy to get a win against her.
"I don't know how to describe my emotions. But definitely I'm super, super happy and proud of everything I was able to achieve so far. Yeah, just happy with the level I played today. She's a great player and very tough opponent. I'm super happy that I was able to get this win today," Aryna Sabalenka said at the post-match press conference.
Sabalenka also revealed that she wanted to avoid following in the footsteps of players who have only won a single Grand Slam title and failed to secure another victory.
"I didn't want to be that player to win [one Slam] and then disappeared. I just wanted to show that I'm able to be consistently there and I'm able to win another one. I really hope that more, more than two right now, but for me was really important," she added.