Post by bosanskinovi on Jan 21, 2009 5:08:42 GMT -5
The ethnic tensions that have plagued recent Australian Opens simmered just below the surface as rival groups of Serbians, Croatians and Bosnians engaged in verbal warfare.
While a potential powderkeg clash between Croat Marin Cilic and Serb Janko Tipsarevic passed off largely trouble-free, security was called during a match between Bosnian-born American Amer Delic and Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu.
It was deemed necessary after a group of Serbian fans turned up and began taunting Delic's supporters.
Delic, who overcame Mathieu in five sets, said later he wanted his fans to calm down and not turn his third round match with Serbia's Novak Djokovic "into World War III".
"I'm going to try and tell my fans that we don't need to be embarrassing ourselves in front of the world and I hope Novak says something to the Serbian fans also," Delic said.
"You know, leave the politics aside. It's not my fault and it's not Novak's fault."
He added that he would also speak to the leaders of the Bosnian community in Melbourne.
Ethnic violence erupted on the opening day of the 2007 tournament when Serbian and Croatian fans, wearing the national colors of the bitter Balkan rivals, attacked each other with flagpoles, bottles and boots.
The Serbian fans who descended on the Delic-Mathieu clash came straight from seeing Tipsarevic go down to the big-serving Cilic 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
That match ended without incident although both players were upset by fans singing political songs rather than following the tennis.
Police numbers have been boosted this year with officers issued with capsicum foam to target any troublemakers.
"It was like I expected -- it was a highly intense match," Tipsarevic said, later comparing the atmosphere to a Davis Cup tie.
Tipsarevic said that once he saw the draw he asked organisers to ensure the match was played on a showcourt to lessen any chance of trouble.
"Both the Serbs and the Croats were a little bit incorrect singing songs that had nothing to do with the tennis but to do with the history we have between each other," Tipsarevic said.
"There was a little bit of rudeness towards the players but what I liked was there was no clapping between the first and second serve, or mobile phones ringing when there was an important point and that kind of thing."
Tipsarevic said Cilic had also found it difficult.
"I spoke to him at the net and he told me 'I don't know about you but for me this was really tough mentally to play in these conditions', and I said the same thing to him," Tipsarevic said.
Tipsarevic added that players from the republics that once made up the former Yugoslavia never experienced such fervent nationalistic support outside their own countries.
"The problem with the people who live abroad, especially Australia, it's really far away from their homeland," he said.
"It's stupid to say they love Serbia more, but they feel nostalgic for it and when Serbian sportsmen are performing they feel motivated to cheer, and sometimes a little bit too much."
Cilic said he was just happy to get off the court as quickly as he could.
"Considering the things what were going on outside the court with the tension and the provocation from both sides, from the Croatians and the Serbs, it was a relief to win in four," Cilic said.
"The things they were saying were really not nice and it was tough to play, but I wasn't paying attention because I knew it would be like that from the start and there's not much you can do."
english.sina.com/sports/p/2009/0121/213262.html
While a potential powderkeg clash between Croat Marin Cilic and Serb Janko Tipsarevic passed off largely trouble-free, security was called during a match between Bosnian-born American Amer Delic and Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu.
It was deemed necessary after a group of Serbian fans turned up and began taunting Delic's supporters.
Delic, who overcame Mathieu in five sets, said later he wanted his fans to calm down and not turn his third round match with Serbia's Novak Djokovic "into World War III".
"I'm going to try and tell my fans that we don't need to be embarrassing ourselves in front of the world and I hope Novak says something to the Serbian fans also," Delic said.
"You know, leave the politics aside. It's not my fault and it's not Novak's fault."
He added that he would also speak to the leaders of the Bosnian community in Melbourne.
Ethnic violence erupted on the opening day of the 2007 tournament when Serbian and Croatian fans, wearing the national colors of the bitter Balkan rivals, attacked each other with flagpoles, bottles and boots.
The Serbian fans who descended on the Delic-Mathieu clash came straight from seeing Tipsarevic go down to the big-serving Cilic 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
That match ended without incident although both players were upset by fans singing political songs rather than following the tennis.
Police numbers have been boosted this year with officers issued with capsicum foam to target any troublemakers.
"It was like I expected -- it was a highly intense match," Tipsarevic said, later comparing the atmosphere to a Davis Cup tie.
Tipsarevic said that once he saw the draw he asked organisers to ensure the match was played on a showcourt to lessen any chance of trouble.
"Both the Serbs and the Croats were a little bit incorrect singing songs that had nothing to do with the tennis but to do with the history we have between each other," Tipsarevic said.
"There was a little bit of rudeness towards the players but what I liked was there was no clapping between the first and second serve, or mobile phones ringing when there was an important point and that kind of thing."
Tipsarevic said Cilic had also found it difficult.
"I spoke to him at the net and he told me 'I don't know about you but for me this was really tough mentally to play in these conditions', and I said the same thing to him," Tipsarevic said.
Tipsarevic added that players from the republics that once made up the former Yugoslavia never experienced such fervent nationalistic support outside their own countries.
"The problem with the people who live abroad, especially Australia, it's really far away from their homeland," he said.
"It's stupid to say they love Serbia more, but they feel nostalgic for it and when Serbian sportsmen are performing they feel motivated to cheer, and sometimes a little bit too much."
Cilic said he was just happy to get off the court as quickly as he could.
"Considering the things what were going on outside the court with the tension and the provocation from both sides, from the Croatians and the Serbs, it was a relief to win in four," Cilic said.
"The things they were saying were really not nice and it was tough to play, but I wasn't paying attention because I knew it would be like that from the start and there's not much you can do."
english.sina.com/sports/p/2009/0121/213262.html