'Irritated' Majchrzak lashes out at boisterous fan as back problems persist

Updated
Kamil Majchrzak returns a serve during his second round loss to Fábián Marozsán on Wednesday.
Kamil Majchrzak returns a serve during his second round loss to Fábián Marozsán on Wednesday.Martin Keep / AFP

Kamil Majchrzak told reporters in Melbourne on Wednesday that persistent encouragement from one spectator was unwelcome as he attempted to 'find peace' in his second round singles loss to Fábián Marozsán.

Majchrzak lost in straight sets (6-3 6-4 7-6) despite showing some admirable fight throughout the match as a persistent back problem took significant power out of his serving game, illustrated by an average serve speed of only 168kph (104mph) and just 57% of first serve points won.

The 30-year-old continued to battle as much as his body allowed and at one stage saved six break points in a single marathon service game to go 2-1 up in the third set, but Majchrzak couldn't hold on in a thrilling third set tiebreak that saw nine of the 12 points go against the serve. 

Majchrzak missed Poland's Davis Cup tie against Great Britain with injury shortly after retiring from the US Open and has not yet returned to full fitness despite his valiant attempts to battle through back soreness. 

With his Australian Open singles campaign coming to a disappointing end, he has also made the decision to withdraw from the men's doubles bracket and focus on getting healthy for Poland's imminent Davis Cup tie against Egypt in Cairo (February 6-8). 

"It was a difficult experience for me," Majchrzak said after the match.

"I'm not happy with the result or the way the match went. I didn't feel the greatest on court. I've been struggling with my health recently but I wanted to give (this Australian Open) a go.

"I was quite surprised to get through the first round and wanted to do my best today but unfortunately I was missing my serve. That was a big factor, especially against Fabian who has a very clean return. 

"With a lack of pace on my serve I was starting the rallies in a defensive position, which is quite annoying, especially on my serve. Sometimes I was getting more ball in neutral play from returns, which is quite unusual but he's more comfortable returning than serving.

"I was just trying to hang in and survive as much as possible because he was very good at the beginning and in the middle of the sets. He was quite fragile by the end of the sets and I was trying to take advantage of that but I couldn't win any sets. I did everything I could do today and couldn't do much more."

Majchrzak at one stage lost his cool with one spectator who had been persistently shouting words of encouragement his way between points, prompting him to speak out and ask for quiet. 

"Every player is kind of different (about noisy spectators)," Majchrzak explained empathetically when asked about the incident.

"I was a little bit irritated and a bit nervous going on court today, because on one hand I knew I would have to play really good tennis to play Fabian today without a lot of help from my serve. He (Marozsán) made my life on court quite uncomfortable from the beginning. I was struggling to find my way into the match and into the points.

"It was difficult for me to focus as well, and then when I had so many issues to deal with, I could never find my peace. Someone (in the crowd) was constantly trying to encourage me - which is super nice - but I'm this kind of person where it doesn't allow me to find peace with myself.

"With Fabian, the thing is I obviously had a gameplan, but he was taking it out of my hands because he was starting every rally in an advantageous position and it was very difficult to push me away.

"There was a lot going on in my head and (spectators) trying to encourage me doesn't necessarily help me when I'm trying to find peace on court."

Majchrzak also said he plans to speak to Polish compatriot Hubert Hurkacz to offer advice on Hurkacz's second round match against American Ethan Quinn on Thursday.

Quinn, who was to be Majchrzak's men's double partner in Melbourne prior to his withdrawal, was defeated twice on two different surfaces by Majchrzak in 2025, prompting Hurkacz to quip earlier in the week that he'll be "on the phone" to Majchrzak for some insight.

"We're going to talk about that a little bit later," Majchrzak told Flashscore on Wednesday with a smile.

"He briefly asked me yesterday but it was quite late when I was about to go to bed. I'm pretty sure we're going to have that conversation later today."