Aus Open: Four talking points
Stan Wawrinka is happy enough when he battles a cold at the Australian Open, while John Isner was the opposite after losing a set.
Published : Jan 23, 2016 15:20 IST
Here's our pick of the major talking points from the day.
Stan talking 'S***'
Wawrinka has been battling a cold in Melbourne and he appeared low on energy late in his three-set win over Lukas Rosol in the third round. But the two-time grand slam champion provided more entertainment in his on-court interview after his victory.
Wawrinka had already made the Rod Laver Arena crowd laugh when speaking about his colourful clothing before he followed that up in style.
"Now I can talk. Last few days I couldn't really talk. I've been OK, maybe too many cigars," he said.
"I had a bit of a cold, I'm feeling better and as long as I'm moving well and feeling good on the court that's the most important. I don't really need my voice so if I can talk, I talk too much s*** so it's better…"
Smashing, John
Big-serving Isner enjoyed a hard-fought four-set win over Feliciano Lopez on Hisense Arena, sending down 44 aces. The American, however, was frustrated after dropping the first set in a tie-break.
Isner smashed his racquet against the court three times while seated before receiving a violation for, er, racquet abuse.
"Well, I wasn't happy after the first set, for sure. I was ticked off. My racquet felt the brunt of that," he said afterwards.
It sure worked for Isner, who won the next three sets.
Robert outentertains Monfils
Gael Monfils is one of the sport's ultimate entertainers, but a fellow Frenchman outdid him on Saturday. Stephane Robert, a 35-year-old journeyman, produced brief highlights for the Hisense Arena crowd.
Robert hit a shot behind his back and one through his legs in the same point, which he won.
The >@cpaaustralia point of the day? Tournament? Year? Century!?Featuring >@Gael_Monfils & Stephane Robert >#AusOpen>https://t.co/kKSL3qXUqo
— Australian Open (@AustralianOpen) >January 23, 2016
Record Crowd
It looked it around Melbourne Park and officials confirmed Saturday was the largest day attendance in the tournament's history.
A crowd of 54,825 came through the gates, eclipsing the record set at the 2013 Australian Open.