The Australian Open’s boozy ‘party court’ has caused its first controversy for 2026 just hours after play started, with a star snapping back at the crowd straight after winning her match on Sunday.
Court six has become notorious for rowdy fan behaviour since it debuted in 2024.
It sits next to the two-storey Courtside Bar, which is sponsored by vodka brand Grey Goose this year, with spectators able to watch the action while they have a cocktail, wine or beer.
On Sunday, the crowd at court six decided Kazakh star Yulia Putintseva was the villain in her clash with Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia, with lots of Brazilian shirts and flags visible in the stands.
Putintseva complained to the chair umpire about the noise from the bar soon after the match began.
She beat Maia 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 to advance to the second round and wasn’t shy about letting the crowd know how she felt about them afterwards.
Yulia Putintseva is pictured returning serve to the rowdy crowd at the Australian Open’s ‘party court’ on Sunday
The Kazakh star hit back at the crowd after she was made the villain in her victory over Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia
As Putintseva walked to the net to shake hands with her opponent, she appeared to mock the crowd with an exaggerated celebration, shaking her shoulders and chest before turning around to the fans and performing an over-the-top bow.
One fan called it a ‘total shade-throwing reaction to the crowd’ online, with another calling her a ‘first-class s**t stirrer’.
When the courtside bar was first brought in two years ago, tournament director Craig Tiley said it would be an ‘elevated experience’ for fans.
‘We’re gonna give this a go on outside court six and basically, what it is, we just wrapped the court with a two-storey structure where fans can actually lean over, watch the tennis, sit down,’ he said.
‘[They can] enjoy a bit to eat, enjoy a drink and the feedback we get is that the fans want to get closer to it, so we bring them closer to it at the same time.’
But fans at the court quickly gained a reputation for angering players almost straight away.
That year, French star Arthur Rinderknech claimed he was verbally abused by drunk fans when he lost in the first round and said he felt like he was ‘playing in a nightclub’.
‘Some stupid – I won’t even say the country – guys that were drunk were shouting at me every time I was missing my first serve, and I don’t think that’s really correct,’ he said.
Putintseva appeared to mock the crowd with an exaggerated victory celebration
Pictured: The two-storey Courtside Bar when it was launched in 2024. It didn’t take long for players to blast the behaviour of fans who’d been drinking
Pictured: AFL star Josh Daicos and partner Annalise Dalins at the launch of this year’s courtside bar, which is sponsored by Grey Goose
Last January, fans at the party court got so loud and rowdy that officials were forced to move a match that was scheduled to be played on court eight due to the over-the-top noise.
Ex-player turned commentator Daniela Hantuchova was also astonished.
‘I was walking past the court and I could not believe the noise,’ she said.
‘This was like soccer with baseball and basketball combined.’
Scottish star Jacob Fearnley was also stunned by the behaviour of some spectators on court six – but didn’t think it was all bad.
‘I actually didn’t really look at the court before I went on, so when I saw the bar, I was thinking it’s going to be a pretty rowdy atmosphere,’ he said.
‘Obviously, there were some supporters who were extremely drunk, but it was a great atmosphere, amazing atmosphere.’
