Australian Open: At the Happy Slam, not everyone was happy

New Delhi: Roger Federer coined the term "Happy Slam" for the Australian Open in 2007, and it has stuck. “Everybody is kind of happy to see each other, kind of after the off-season. It’s kind of like the ‘Happy Slam,’” Federer had said back on January 14, 2007.

Daria Kasatkina, who took up Australian nationality recently, captured the mood in an interview with The Guardian: "Everyone is so chill, like ‘if you’re late, you’re late, mate.’ It’s OK, take it easy, don’t worry about it."



That vibe is evident from the orderly manner of the nearest Flinders Street train station. It is also clear in the packed trams that take you to Melbourne Park. Once you get inside, having navigated through lengthy queues, drinks, lawn chairs and ice creams become the flavour even on sultry days.

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Federer, who attended the start of the 2026 Australian Open, explained in detail this time around: “It felt like a very normal thing to say because a lot of players, they’re happy to escape the European winter,” said the six-time Australian Open winner.

“Finally, you’re happy to maybe see the other players again [after a break], so it just feels very happy. The weather’s good, people are incredibly excited and pumped up about the Australian Open, we the players can feel that, the vibes are incredibly happy, nobody’s exhausted and tired [except for travel]. It stuck, and I’m happy it’s still the case because I still think the players are super happy to be here.”

Largely, that may well be the case but there have been grumblings in the last two weeks ranging from prize money, presence of cameras in locker rooms, barring of fitness trackers and the lengthy queues on the outside courts.

Prize money goes up but short of US Open

The Australian Open took the prize money to A$111.5 million ($74.56 million) this year, bringing it ahead of last year's French Open ($65.42 million) and Wimbledon ($71.60 million) but short of the US Open's purse ($90 million).

Last year, the players had written to the Slams and expressed dissatisfaction with how much they were getting back in Australia. Tournament Director Craig Tiley defended their position saying, "I believe the players should continue to be paid more and more players paid more, we have 128 in the main draw and 128 qualifying (men and women), so we are supporting over 500 players financially each Grand Slam," he told AFR.

Coco Gauff was one of the players who said pressure would be mounted on the administrators if their demands remained unmet.

The agitation over prize money is not new. There was a record prize money increase for the 2013 edition after players considered bypassing the tournament. In 2018, Djokovic threatened the formation of a breakaway player union while demanding a fairer share of the revenue raised by tournaments.

'Are we animals in a zoo?'

Increases in revenues and subsequent prize money go hand-in-hand with increases in broadcast fees. More cameras are used to show more aspects of the tournament, going beyond just the courts. Behind-the-scenes footage is crucial to the puzzle as broadcasters look to get more bang for their buck. Though, some players were not pleased.

Gauff, upset after her loss to Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals, thought she was alone and away from cameras as she trashed a racquet. Instead, the act was captured by a sneaky camera in the player areas near the locker room. Not-so-surprisingly, it was immediately clipped and made waves on social media.

In the press conference later, Gauff said, “maybe some conversations can be had, because I feel like at this tournament the only private place we have is the locker room.” She added: “I kind of have a thing with the broadcast. I feel like certain moments don’t need to broadcast.”

Iga Swiatek backed Gauff. “The question is, are we tennis players, or are we, like, animals in the zoo where they are observed even when they poop?” she asked.

“OK, that was exaggerating obviously, but it would be nice to have some privacy. It would be nice also to, I don’t know, have your own process and not always be observed. It would be nice to have some space where you can do that without the whole world watching.”

“We’re tennis players. We’re meant to be watched on the court, and in the press. That’s our job. It’s not our job to be a meme when you forget your accreditation. Oh, it’s funny, yeah, for sure. People have something to talk about, but for us I don’t think it’s necessary.”

Djokovic, too, used an exaggerated example in agreeing with Gauff. "I mean, I’m surprised that we have no cameras while we are taking a shower!"

For their part, Tennis Australia said, "...we value feedback from the players and will continue to work collaboratively to ensure the right balance." Just for the record, Wimbledon and Roland Garros have private areas for players to retreat to.

Record crowds but at what cost?

A massive 1,368,043 people came through the turnstiles at the 2026 Australian Open. The main draw accounted for 1,150,044 people - both records for the tournament. One reason for this jump can be attributed to affordable ground passes - at A$69 in the first week.

On the face of it, that creates plenty of buzz, volume and generates more revenue for the tournament, even if food and drinks get more expensive each year. But the overcrowding has sullied the experience for many of the regulars.

“Having too many people, at this or any other tournament, is a very good problem for us,” Djokovic had said after beating Francesco Maestrelli. “It’s a good sign. I really like the mentality here, that desire to constantly improve.”

Craig Tiley predicted expanding the complex into the nearby Olympic and Yarra Park precincts to ease the overcrowding issue. He also proposed a “translucent dome over the whole precinct.” How that would pan out, if at all, remains to be seen.

Is a smartwatch a performance-enhancing drug?

Eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner were asked to remove fitness trackers from their wrists. Aryna Sabalenka, too, was told to remove a device. These health analytical devices, known as wearables, are allowed by both the men's and women's tours, since 2024 and 2021, respectively, but not at Slams. It is another point where tennis administrators need to come together and simplify things but that's already a long list.

"Athletes have a fundamental right to understand their own performance and health - including during competition at events like the Australian Open," said Whoop, the brand worn by Alcaraz. "Blocking access to personal health data does not protect sport."


The company's CEO Will Ahmed took to social media after Alcaraz was asked to remove his tracker: "Ridiculous. Whoop is approved by the International Tennis Federation for in-match wear and poses no safety risk. Let the athletes measure their bodies. Data is not steroids!"


Without giving the reason(s) behind their decision, Tennis Australia defended itself and said they do provide some health data to the players. "They can monitor key external load measures such as distance covered, changes of direction, high acceleration events and speed/spin of shots," it said.

Football, baseball, American Football, basketball and cricket have all embraced data analytics and connected athletes' bodies to understand their limits. Tennis, however, is late to the game. And after the Australian Open, it has missed another stop.


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