Tennis star brands Australian Open 'the wokest tournament ever' after rule change leaves players fuming in Melbourne

Jordan Thompson has branded Australian Open 'the wokest tournament ever'The Aussie was unhappy with a rule change for this year's competition He launched an outburst at the umpire as fans returned to their seats 

Jordan Thompson has slammed the Australian Open as ‘the wokest tournament ever’ after the hometown star was left mystified by a new rule change that has angered a number of players.

During his first round match against fellow countryman Aleksandar Vukic, Thompson was preparing to serve at 3-1 up in the second set when fans continued to make their way into Court 3.

New rules set out for the 2024 tournament allow spectators to enter stadiums between games, not solely at the change of ends, but it has led to problems due to there being a shorter break between normal games compared to a change of ends.

As a result, Thompson was left standing and waiting for fans to find their seats, and after asking the umpire to address the late fans, he was left stunned to learn of the rule change.

‘You’re kidding me, really? Oh my god,’ he said. ‘This is the wokest tournament ever.’

Jordan Thompson has labelled the Australian Open ‘the wokest tournament ever’

The Australian star was unhappy when he couldn’t get started on his service game

‘It’s just not smart,’ Thompson added at the conclusion of his service game, with the umpire clarifying the new rules to him.

Thompson leads the round one match by two sets to one, 3-6 7-6(3) 6-2.

The Aussie wasn’t the only player unhappy with the new rule, with reigning champion Novak Djokovic also baffled to see fans pouring into the court at an unexpected time.

The 36-year-old gave a serve to Open organisers about a new rule allowing fans to move around the stadium in between games, rather than the traditional change of ends.

Djokovic said he wasn’t aware of the new rule and said it had a negative impact on his match and not the positive one tournament organisers were hoping for.

‘I did not know about that new policy or new rule,’ he said.

‘Look, I mean, I understand the motive behind it is to enhance and improve the experience for fans, right? We do play for fans. We want fans to have a great, thrilling experience of being out on the court.

A new rule now allows fans to enter the stadium at the end of each game

Novak Djokovic was also unimpressed with the new rule during his match

‘It’s hard, I must say. I understand that and I support it to some extent, but at the same time all my career, all my life I’ve been used to some kind of atmosphere. When that changes, it kind of messes up, distracts you a bit.

‘Today we lost quite a bit of time when they were letting people in to come to their seats, even though it was not a changeover. My opponent would wait for them to sit down. It dragged a lot.

‘I don’t know if it’s really the best rule, but I do understand from a tournament and fan perspective it’s probably better because they don’t want to wait. They want to come out and enjoy every single point.

‘I’m kind of divided between the two in a way.’