Police flooded the Australian Open on Tuesday to prevent further clashes between Serb and Croat fans as players and the media ganged up to condemn the ethnic violence that marred the first day’s action.
”A Disgrace”, the Melbourne Herald-Sun said on its front page beneath photographs of rival fans in national colours kicking each other and swinging flagpoles as weapons.
Police ejected 150 people after Monday’s melee and fear a first round match on Tuesday between Croat Marin Cilic and Serbian Ilia Bozoljac could provide another flashpoint for unruly crowds.
Fans entering the venue had to pass through metal detectors as security staff searched for weapons amid threats from some of those thrown out Monday to return for more confrontation with their rivals.
”We’ll bring shanks [home-made knife] and stab every one of them,” a Serb told the Melbourne Age newspaper, while a Croat admitted: ”I’m just here for the Croats, not really to support tennis.”
Rising Serbian star Ana Ivanovic said she and other players were shocked at the violence in a country she considers her favourite on the tour.
Ivanovic said Serb and Croat players got on well, echoing compatriot Jelena Jankovic, who said on Monday that Melbourne was the only place she had seen tennis fans acting on the ancient Balkan rivalry.
”We really are friends with Croatians and they don’t mind us,” Ivanovic said. ”I think it’s very bad that people just want to pick a fight without reason. They’re all basically Australians. They live here.
”If they want to support us, it’s great to see so many of them coming in, but [there’s] just no reason for stuff like that.”
She also voiced concerns about player safety.
”I think it’s not going to happen but, still, you never know if they are going to become aggressive towards us as well.”
Victoria state police acting superintendent Chris Duthie conceded his officers were caught off guard by the unprecedented violence at the season-opening Grand Slam.
But he warned they would not tolerate a repeat of the clashes.
”Certainly we have never had this sort of behaviour at the tennis before,” Duthie told Channel Nine television.
”I wouldn’t say [we were] underdone, but we had sufficient police resources for a normal Australian Open tennis match — this was something out of the ordinary.
”I can assure you, though, that we will not have that problem again.”
He said police were still studying video footage of the incident with a view to making arrests.
Australian Open director Craig Tiley would not elaborate on the increased security but warned any unruly fan would be quickly dealt with.
”We know and we’re confident that we have safety measures in place that do protect our fans,” he told the Seven television network.
There has been a long history of clashes between Serb and Croat fans in Melbourne but it has previously been restricted to football matches between teams representing the two Balkan communities.
The Age condemned the brawl and said it had brought unwanted international attention to one of Australia’s premier sporting events. – Sapa-AFP