Yulia Putintseva criticised Australian Open fans for "disrespectful" behaviour after her third-round victory over Zeynep Sonmez.
Sonmez, a crowd favourite after assisting a fainting ball girl, had strong support from Melbourne’s large Turkish community, creating a partisan atmosphere. Despite this, Putintseva claimed a 6-3 6-7 (3) 6-3 win, reaching the fourth round in Melbourne for the first time at 31.
After the final point, Putintseva danced in celebration and gestured towards the stands, prompting boos throughout her post-match interview.
Putintseva commented on the crowd’s conduct: "There is always someone in favour and someone to cheer for, that’s what’s great about the sport. But today I think was really a lot of disrespectful moments when they were screaming between my first and second serve. Like really loud, just to make me (make a) mistake."
She recounted a specific incident: "I think it was 4-3, was a big point, and I opened the court very good. I take my forehand, the guy just started coughing just for my shot. I was like, ‘OK, now I’m not going to lose’."
Putintseva expressed her resolve: "I was ready to take it all but I was ready to fight until I die there. What can I do?
“It’s just some people have education of tennis and, unfortunately, some of them not. I’m very happy that I kept my calm, because Yulia last year would probably throw something at them at some moment."
Putintseva revealed she stayed calm by singing an old Russian song about rabbits to herself.
"It is very old school, from old, old movies," she explained. "It has nothing to do with anything. It’s just about rabbits who eat the grass. I was distracting myself with this."
She contrasted this with her usual listening habits: "Usually I’m (listening to)Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, and here it comes a rabbit song. I don’t know why."
