Carlton Supporters Club

To be fair, all he did was request that the boys at the end of the court have an equal number of balls each when he was serving - he didn't abuse them.  Medvedev was bemused that they had to run to each other and hand the balls over, not throw them.  But it was another example of a clumsy approach to a simple request.

Is there an asterix on Barty's win given Serena was unable to compete because of injury? Of course not. Same goes for Nadal's win: Djokovic was absent for medical reasons too, although in his case he could have easily avoided them by getting the damn jab. The only way there should be an asterix next to Nadal's achievement is as a reminder of what a dickhead Novax is.

Barty would have chopped Serena.

Barty would have chopped any opponent, and Serena is not the player she was.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Barty win multiple slams if she can maintain her current gameplan.

Barty will struggle at the US Open, the lightweight tennis balls used by the girls in US tournaments are more conducive to players who hit the ball flat like the Williams sisters, or like Barty's most recent opponent Collins. The lower mass of the ball means Barty's changes of pace have less effect on unsettling the opponents game.

I would imagine that if she snaffles the French in May, and Wimbledon in June, she will spend the next three months leading up to the US Open making sure she knows how to deal with different balls.

"Ash Barty’s celebratory sip of beer during a TV interview following her historic victory in the Australian Open has been dobbed into the alcohol marketing watchdog.

The Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code (ABAC) investigated how Barty’s TV toast with a Corona during her post-match panel interview with Channel 9 came about following a viewer complaint, claiming the cheers with beers glorified and glamorised alcohol.

The complainant also questioned if the moment was a PR stunt.

The ABAC sets standards for the responsible content and placement of alcohol marketing in Australia.

“I think the segment glorified and glamorised alcohol and was very deceptive if it was indeed a paid promotion. Why else are they doing it if it wasn’t a paid stunt? It’s poor when many children were up watching the final and Ash Barty is a role model for many girls too,” the complaint read.

The ABAC code states alcohol marketing must not show or encourage irresponsible or offensive behaviour related to the consumption or presence of booze nor have strong appeal to minors."

Have you ever read a greater crock of crap in your life!!!