Amer Delic, a Bosnian-born American tennis player is having an impressive run at the Australian Open. Sadly, his efforts have been overshadowed by an escalating conflict among his supporters. The tension is feared to carry over to Delic’s anticipated match against Serbian Novak Djokovic.
Delic is having a good run at the Australian Open. He had just come off a win against Taylor Dent on Monday and is facing off against Frenchman Paul Henri-Mathieu. He won against Henri and is now set to play against Djokovic. Unfortunately, Delic’s achievements were overshadowed by the conduct of his fans.
A group of Australians who are of recent European descent were there to support Delic. But, somehow, their support turned political as fans faced off with other conflicting ethnic groups instead of focusing on the game.
Fans who were supporting Delic became rowdy and were draped in nationalistic attire as the tennis player faced off against Dent. The problem escalated when a group of Serbian fans descended on Delic’s game. Soon, the court was divided with Serbians and Bosnians who were throwing slurs at one another. This problem continued on to Delic’s match with Henri.
Delic commented, “I felt bad for Paul-Henri and apologized to him afterwards. He was caught in the middle of something and he didn’t know what the hell was going on.”
Officials are now concerned and are tightening security for Delic’s Match against Djokovic.