Scenes inside Rod Laver Arena quickly turned ugly during last night's Australian Open final trophy presentation.
Novak Djokovic had just been crowned champion for the ninth time, bringing his total Grand Slam haul to 18, but the Melbourne crowd was in a rather unusual mood.
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Tennis Australia president Jayne Hrdlicka thanked everyone involved in the Australian Open and touched on what the future of sport will look like once the coronavirus vaccine is rolled out Down Under.
"With vaccinations on the way, rolling out in many countries around the world, it's now a time for optimism and hope for the future," she said.
Her remarks didn't sit well with the Australian Open crowd, who responded by booing her.
As cameras zoomed, you could see the awkward look on her face as she realised she was dealing with a rather tough crowd.
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But people watching at home were shocked, surprised and confused when they heard the random boos.
But unfortunately for Hrdlicka, the relentless boos didn't stop there.
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Just moments later, she then thanked the Victorian government for its role in ensuring the prestigious tennis tournament went ahead without too many major blips.
"The top of that list [to thank] is the Victorian government, without you we could not have done this," Hrdlicka added.
But again, the live crowd weren't having a bar of it and a chorus of boos echoed around Rod Laver Arena.
In a desperate bid to get the fans back onside, Hrdlicka wrapped up her speech by praising the crowd for their support.
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"Another big thank you goes to our fans. All of you have helped make this a very, very special occasion," she said.
"You are very opinionated group of people, but whether you're at home or here tonight, we are really thankful that you're here. We look forward to seeing you next year."
Featured Image Credit: Channel 9Topics: Australia
