By Ana Ivanovic
I WAS shocked to hear about the trouble during the Gonzalez-Economidis match. It's scary to think that something like that can happen during a grand slam match.
I understand that Gonzalez said that the chanting wasn't even that offensive, so it sounds as if there was an over-reaction.
I really hope this incident doesn't overshadow the great start to the tournament. There have already been some very exciting matches.
I have to say that I would be horrified if something like that happened during one of my matches. I've never experienced anything like it. The only thing that comes even remotely close is when I played Amelie Mauresmo at the French Open three years ago and the match was halted for a few minutes because the crowd were standing and cheering.
I am lucky to have received some incredible support from very enthusiastic fans, not least the Serbian supporters, who are extremely passionate and loud. Tennis is relatively new to the country, and they're still learning how to behave properly - many of them treat it like a football match. The most important thing is that they respect the opponent and don't shout out during their service; in the past they have sometimes done this, and that's a little bit embarrassing for me.
But as long as they behave properly, I am flattered to hear such loud chanting during my matches and it definitely helps me: it gives me energy and extra motivation. A great example of the crowd helping me was when I played Virginie Razzano last week in Sydney. I was 5-2 behind in the final set but the spectators kept supporting me and this added to my belief that I could turn it around. I came back and won the set 7-5.
Some players are so focused they don't even hear what is being said around the court. Personally, I hear a lot of what they shout. You hear some funny, unusual things: in Sydney, during the match they were asking me which soccer team I supported. I've received a few marriage proposals in the past. I know I shouldn't be listening, but it's hard not to smile when you hear something like that.
I play tonight on Rod Laver Arena. I'm very excited about playing my first night session at a grand slam match. I trained on RLA Sunday but the conditions were very different from what I am expecting tonight because the roof was closed.
A donation to UNICEF has been made on Ana's behalf for this column.