It's a "tradition" of the first Grand Slam of the year. In the middle of the austral summer, in the heat of Melbourne, animals of all kinds are out and about and often intrude during matches. And the examples have multiplied since the first strokes of the racket on Sunday. On Monday during the marathon first round between Felix Auger-Aliassime and Dominic Thiem, a seagull in particular landed on the court and then flew into the stadium for a few minutes provoking hilarity from spectators and players, as well as an interruption of the match for a few seconds in the third set. There was no interruption on Tuesday in the first round between Alcaraz and Gasquet. Just a few seconds of hesitation, the time it took for the world number two to chase away a big cricket that had invited itself onto the court.
To discover
- Australian Open: women's schedule and results
- Australian Open: men's schedule and results