Violence erupted at the Australian Open yesterday when Serbian Novak Djokovic defeated Bosnian American Amer Delic at the Australian Open. The violence was ethnically motivated and involved up to 30 people, mostly in their early 20's, throwing objects at each other. One bystander, a woman who had just been interviewed by ESPN, was hit in the back of the head with a chair (see video).

Djokovic always seems a firebrand at large events, but this is not the sort of jocular mimicking or quotes we're use to seeing from him. Amer, meanwhile, a Bosnian-born American citizen, tried his best to approach the subject before the match, writing on his website and speaking to Novak before the match. Clearly these are both classy gentlemen, but ethnic pride and large scale tennis events don't always mix.

Lately, in a sport known for its composure and crowd silence during points, fans have been getting more rowdy when favorite sons play. The Federer-Nadal matches have had a few instances of Spanish fans cheering during serves. Still, there are moments such as the Goran Ivanisevic-Patrick Rafter final at Wimbledon, which felt more like a Davis Cup Final because of how enthusiastic crowd support was for both players.

Australia has a large Serbian community and while clashes have occured over the last couple years at the Open, the support for young athletes like Ana Ivanovic and Djokovic is a positive. Here's hoping tennis can lean more towards displays of competitive tennis than of competitive fans.

[photo - lucas dawson, getty images]

[video - fandome]