It was a match that certainly had drama and that wasn't just Pavel Kotov nearly hitting a ball girl and terrifying her in the process as Arthur Rinderknech lost in a match that finished 7-5, 6-1, 6-7, 6-7, 6-3 in favour of the former as the Frenchman in defeat compared the atmosphere at the Australian Open to that of a nightclub.
The match was played on Court Six next to a new two-storey party bar which has been built for this year's tournament and sees a different DJ play there everyday. He complained to the umpire as spectators shouted every time he missed his first serve and he failed to act and he shushed them as a result.
Le premier THRILLER du tournoi 😱 Après avoir sauvé une balle de match en étant mené par deux sets, Arthur Rinderknech 🇫🇷 s’arrache pour égaliser après deux tie-breaks mais c’est finalement Pavel Kotov qui s’impose (7-5, 6-1, 6-7, 6-7, 6-3) après 4h42 à l’Open d’Australie. 😳
He vented as a result post match about the new atmosphere not being conducive tennis conditions and while he thinks it is good for the tournament, he believes others would've reacted differently on playing on the court.
"I mean, we're playing in a nightclub! That's OK. I thought it was only in the US Open we could play in a nightclub.
"It happened today for four [hours] – I don't even know how long we played. It was just food, drinks, laughing, talking, music, different music. Everything was happening on the court.
“It’s OK, I mean I really like the court. It was nice atmosphere. It’s cool. I don’t know, maybe some other players would have been p***ed about the way everything was going on on the right side."
“I know I had some French fans also in the stands, but I think they were always really correct with my opponent, never did anything against him," he added.
"The bench of just three or four guys next to the court, drinking alcohol probably for quite a long time, and just shouting at me every time I was missing a first serve, especially the game I got broken as well, the whole fifth set.
"It doesn't matter about this, I'm used to it, I'm fine. I should have been able to handle it. But I don't think it was really classy."
