Marcos Baghdatis’ spectacular bout of racquet rage was the talk of Melbourne Park even on Thursday. On Wednesday, down two sets and a break, Baghdatis sat in his chair at the changeover and whacked his racket on the court seven times until it was almost unrecognisable. That wasn’t so unusual — what happened next was.

The fiery Cypriot broke four rackets during a meltdown that lasted less than a minute and earned him a $1,250 fine — or just over $300 per racket.

“I’ve never done that. That’s impressive. Wow,” Serena Williams said on Thursday. Nearly 24 hours later, the YouTube footage of the racquet smashing episode had been viewed more than 350,000 times!

Ana Ivanovic and Caroline Wozniacki have both been trying to pick up tips from their golfer boyfriends. Neither is having much luck. “My golf is not so good,” said Ivanovic, who is dating No. 7-ranked Adam Scott of Australia. “I can hit the ball sometimes. I putt good, though. I can do that.”

Wozniacki, whose boyfriend is US Open champion Rory McIlroy, said she had been on the course a few times with the Northern Irishman but “once I’m out there alone and have to start playing, it goes right and left and up and down”.

Alexandr Dolgopolov honed his craft belting practice balls at Boris Becker as a plucky child of the tour, revealed coach Jack Reader. “He got to go on the court for 15, 20 minutes, half-an-hour with all of the top guys. Becker hit with him, (Austrian Thomas) Muster hit with him,” Reader said.

Former champion Mats Wilander was discharged from hospital after receiving a blood tranfusion following a fall in his apartment, on the eve of the Australian Open.