Osman Faruqi, in The Age, 27 January 2022, with this title ‘Yahoos’ have as much right to be at tennis as cucumber sandwich set”
Australia loves telling myths about itself. One of my favourites is the idea that Australians are laid-back and distrustful of authority, with an abiding fondness for larrikinism. It’s a favourite because of how stubbornly it continues to persist, even in the face of regular evidence to the contrary.
This year there’s been much hand-wringing over the “Siuuuuu!” chant that has dominated the Open, particularly during Kyrgios matches. Initially I also found it confusing, but when a young Greek-Australian fan at Kyrgios’ first match explained it was a tribute to one of the world’s greatest football players, Cristiano Ronaldo, I got it.
