Tennis Controversies of the Week: Ben Shelton fumes over player treatment at Australian Open; Carlos Alcaraz comes under fire for "mocking" Novak Djokovic, and more

Ben Shelton spoke out against the "disrespectful" interview practices at the 2025 Australian Open. In other news, Carlos Alcaraz sparked controversy for allegedly "mocking" Novak Djokovic’s leg injury in the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Alexander Zverev's Australian Open runner-up speech was disrupted by a screaming fan allegedly mentioning his domestic abuse cases. Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver criticized organizers at Melbourne Park for subjecting women’s doubles finalists to play in partial sun.

Also, Iga Swiatek faced scrutiny for a double bounce controversy during her quarterfinal match against Emma Navarro.

On that note, here's a recap of the top tennis controversies from last week:

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Ben Shelton called out Australian Open interviewers over player disrespect

Ben Shelton voiced an unexpected critique of the tennis broadcasting standards at the Australian Open, specifically calling out the treatment he and some of his fellow players received from media during post-match interviews.

Referring to the widely discussed comments made by Toney Jones about Novak Djokovic—an incident for which the reporter has since apologized—Shelton remarked:

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"One thing that I just want to say before we're done. I've been a little shocked this week with how players have been treated by broadcasters. I don't think that the guy who mocked Novak, I don't think that was a single event. I noticed it with different people. Not just myself."

Shelton also pointed to other examples as part of his broader concerns.

"Learner Tien in one of his matches. When he beat Medvedev, his post-match interview. I think it was kind of embarrassing and disrespectful. There are some comments that have been made to me in post-match interviews by a couple of different guys," he added.

21st-seed Ben Shelton's Melbourne campaign ended in his maiden semifinal against eventual champion Jannik Sinner, losing 6-7(2), 2-6, 2-6.

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Carlos Alcaraz landed in hot water for allegedly 'mocking' Novak Djokovic's injury in Australian Open QF

Carlos Alcaraz was accused of "mocking" Novak Djokovic's leg injury during their highly anticipated Australian Open quarterfinal match.

With Alcaraz leading 5-4 in the first set, Djokovic called for a medical timeout (MTO) due to discomfort in his left leg. Despite the break, Alcaraz secured the set 6-4.

In the lead-up to the fourth set, Alcaraz appeared frustrated and limped around his bench before heading to the court walking normally. This sparked a heated discussion on social media about whether Alcaraz was mocking Djokovic’s earlier injury.

An X (formerly Twitter) user shared a video of Alcaraz limping with the caption:

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"Does everyone think Carlos was mocking Novak here?"

Seventh seed Novak Djokovic went on to win the match 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the semifinals, where he was forced to retire due to a muscle tear in his upper left leg during the first set against eventual runner-up Alexander Zverev.

After his sudden exit from the match, questions arose about the legitimacy of Novak Djokovic's injury. To address the speculation, the Serbian tennis star posted an image of his MRI scan on social media to validate his injury.

"Thought I’d leave this here for all the sports injury "experts" out there," Djokovic posted on X.

Many tennis fans on social media were disappointed that Djokovic felt the need to provide evidence of his injury, given his stature in the game.

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Screaming fan cuts into Alexander Zverev's Australian Open speech, bringing up domestic abuse allegations

During Alexander Zverev's runner-up speech at the 2025 Australian Open, a spectator interrupted him by shouting about domestic abuse allegations from his ex-partners.

Defending champion Jannik Sinner triumphed over Zverev 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3, winning his second consecutive title and third Grand Slam title overall. As Zverev began his speech, a spectator started screaming, allegedly referencing abuse allegations made by his former girlfriend, Olya Sharypova, and his daughter’s mother, Brenda Patea.

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"Just as Zverev is about to speak at the trophy ceremony, a woman repeatedly shouts: ‘Australia Believes Olya and Brenda! Australia Believes Olya and Brenda!’ Broke through the silence," Journalist Ben Rothenberg wrote on X.

Watch the video here:

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Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver slammed the Australian Open for scheduling women's doubles final in partial sun

Former WTA players Pam Shriver and Martina Navratilova criticized Australian Open organizers for scheduling the women’s doubles final between eventual champions Katerina Siniakova/Taylor Townsend and runner-ups Jelena Ostapenko/Hsieh Su-wei under partial sun, making it tough to watch due to shadows on half the court.

The 21-time Grand Slam doubles champion, Pam Shriver, urged the organizers to use the shade from the roof of the stadium to improve the viewing experience.

"Congratulations to doubles winners but can we do better than this when roofs are available to help with shadows? Doubles viewers on TV deserve better than this," Shriver wrote on X.

The 31-time Grand Slam doubles champion, Martina Navratilova, shared Shriver's post, adding her comment:

"Amen to that!" Navratilova wrote.

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Iga Swiatek came under fire for double bounce controversy in the Australian Open QF

The Australian Open quarterfinal match between Iga Swiatek and Emma Navarro became controversial when a missed double bounce call went against the latter.

In the second set, Swiatek won a crucial point after a rally, but Navarro argued that the former's return had bounced twice, a claim later confirmed by replays. However, Navarro couldn't challenge the call as she hadn’t stopped play at the time.

Watch the video here:

Tennis fans on social media accused Swiatek of "cheating" and argued she should have admitted to the mistake.

Second seed Iga Swiatek went on to win the match 6-1, 6-2 to advance to the semifinals, where she lost 7-5, 1-6, 6-7 (8) to eventual champion Madison Keys.

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