MELBOURNE – Isn’t tennis a sport that demands maximum concentration? You wouldn’t think so, judging by the priorities of the Australian Open organisers. This 2025, they not only kept the bar with a terrace next to Court 6 for a second year, but also replicated the initiative between Courts 16 and 17, sparking frustration among players competing on those courts: “Having someone nearby drinking alcohol and yelling is not easy.”
The situation escalated to the point that the match between Alejandro Davidovich-Fokina and Felix Auger-Aliassime had to be moved from Court 8 due to the noise coming from the so-called “Courtside Bar.”
The change took place in one of the final matches of Wednesday’s schedule, forcing the players to relocate to Court 7, slightly farther from the “party” unfolding during the match between Arthur Cazaux and Jacob Fearnley.
The excessive atmosphere was confirmed by the players themselves. “I’d never played there before, but when I saw the bar, I thought it was going to be a pretty loud atmosphere. There were a lot of drunk people,” said Britain’s Fearnley during his press conference.
“It was 11 at night, and people were wearing tank tops in 10-degree weather,” added France’s Cazaux.
Although the situation hadn’t reached the point of forcing a court change earlier, complaints had been surfacing since the start of the tournament. “It’s really strange. I’m trying to stay focused, concentrate, play point by point, but having someone just a few metres away drinking and shouting—it’s not easy,” Cristian Garin told CLAY on Wednesday after defeating Borna Coric in the first round.
Loving the courtside bar again this year! And Aussie McCabe is two sets to love up against young Spanish up and comer Landaluce #ausopen pic.twitter.com/uRkNQRIW3U
— Dale Roberts (@ozdale) January 13, 2025
The “Courtside Bar” is an initiative the Australian Open introduced in 2024 to offer fans a new experience: a two-storey bar in a prime location where spectators can watch matches with a cocktail in their hands.
In 2025, another bar was built next to the courts in the east wing, between Kia Arena and John Cain Arena. However, both courts are only being used for practice during this edition.
“The idea of having a bar next to the court is to bring fans closer to the action and allow them to sit, eat, and drink in a way that truly lets them enjoy the tennis,” explained Craig Tiley, the tournament director, a few months ago when announcing that more beer would be flowing near Courts 16 and 17.
Tiley and the Australian Open decided to expand the initiative despite the criticism the Court 6 bar received during the 2024 edition. One of the voices that spoke out last year was Stefanos Tsitsipas, who played a doubles match there alongside his brother Petros.
“You wouldn’t know it unless you’re a tennis player, but getting in the zone is difficult when there’s movement and things going on around you,” said the Greek player in 2024, who this year lost in the first round.