- James Duckworth treated poorly in home slam
- On-court errors from Aussie were celebrated
- Was playing Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena
Aussie tennis identity John Millman has declared he ‘felt really bad’ for compatriot James Duckworth after ‘fans’ began cheering points he lost in his second-round match at Melbourne Park.
Duckworth, 32, lost in straight sets to Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena on Thursday and at times looked on in disbelief on Court 3 as his errors were wildly applauded.
The jeers didn’t come from Spanish supporters, but rather from eager fans of Lebanese star Hady Habib, who was due play in the next match on the same court versus France’s Ugo Humbert, according to News Corp.
Millman didn’t mince his words when it came to Duckworth’s shabby treatment at his home slam.
‘I felt really bad for Ducks, he’s a good mate of mine, you’re at your home slam and they’re cheering against you because they want to see the next match come on,’ Millman said on the ABC Tennis Podcast.
‘I think that’s where you have got to have a bit more class. That’s what you [players] have to deal with at the Australian Open.
Aussie tennis identity John Millman (pictured) has declared he ‘felt really bad’ for compatriot James Duckworth after ‘fans’ began cheering points he lost in his second round match at Melbourne Park
Duckworth, 32, lost in straight sets to Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena and at times looked on in disbelief on Court 3 as his errors were wildly applauded
It has been reported by News Corp the cheers came from eager Lebanese fans (pictured) wanting to see Hady Habib play in the next match on the same court versus France’s Ugo Humbert
‘You are going to have some rowdy supporters. We live in a very multicultural country so you’re going to have a lot of people who have ties to a lot of different countries and support their charge.’
And according to the publication, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Felix Auger-Aliassime requested to move away from a nearby court due to the constant noise stemming from Court 3.
Millman also added the Australian Open crowd rivals the French as the most intense.
‘The most rowdy crowds are the Australian Open and the French Open,’ he said.
‘The Parisians really get behind their French players in particular, if you have one of them you know it’s going to be a wild atmosphere.
‘The Australian crowds on the outside courts can edge close to that line and sometimes maybe cross it.’
Thankfully for Duckworth, his tournament isn’t finished after he was outclassed by Carballes Baena.
Sydney-raised Duckworth will partner Aleksandar Vukic in the doubles, with the duo scheduled to play fellow Aussies Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis in the first round at John Cain Arena on Thursday night.
James Duckworth will partner Aleksandar Vukic in the doubles, with the duo scheduled to play fellow Aussies Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis in the first round
It remains to be seen if the match will go ahead given the fitness concerns of Kyrgios and Kokkinakis, who battled with his pectoral trouble during his marathon, five-set second-round defeat to No.15 seed Jack Draper.
He later confirmed it was a long-standing issue causing ‘mental and physical torture.’
Kokkinakis conceded he would probably have to pull out of the doubles as another long stint on the sidelines awaits.
‘I feel like I’m letting him (Kyrgios) down, I’m letting people down but yeah, I don’t know,’ he said on Wednesday night.
‘I won’t be able to lift my arm tomorrow. So we’ll see. ‘Unless we’re both playing with underarm serves, it’s looking pretty unlikely.’
