But over the last couple of days, there have been several incidents that have left players quite baffled. Viewers watching the tournament on television may have heard a chorus of what appeared to be boos directed at players in between points, creating a rather unique and hostile atmosphere in the stadium.

However, those are not boos, but rather cries of “siuuuu” made popular by Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo and his legion of followers.

What does “siuuu” mean?

Siuuu, on its own, does not really mean anything. However, from a sporting standpoint, its origin can be traced all the way back to a preseason friendly between Real Madrid and Chelsea at the International Champions Cup.

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated his first goal with a leap into the air while shouting the word “Si”. The exultation - translated into English as “yes” - was meant to denote his joy at scoring a goal.

Ronaldo has since modified the move, and “siuuu” is synonymous with his success. After winning the 2014 Ballon d’Or the Portuguese acknowledged his fans with the same scream of delight.

Ronaldo himself confirmed as much during an interview in 2019. The midfielder disclosed that he has stuck with the celebration because of its association with success in the minds of his fans.

Since then, Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard, Indian cricketer Mohammed Siraj, French footballing prodigy Kylian Mbappe and many other athletes have imitated the celebration.

Why are fans at the Australian Open chanting “siuuu”?

Honestly, nobody knows why fans at the Australian Open are chanting it. It seems to have become a trend amongst youngsters, with the “siuuu” celebration taking social media by storm, just like the “dab” a couple of years back.

How do players feel about the chant at the Australian Open?

Unsurprisingly, most players have expressed their displeasure at the chant. Nick Kyrgios compared fans performing the chant at his first-round match against Liam Broady to animals in the zoo.

Former World No. 1 Andy Murray said he found it “incredibly irritating,” but was a little relieved that he was not being booed like he originally thought.

Daniil Medvedev went one step further. After defeating Kyrgios to progress to the third round of the Australian Open, the Russian expressed his disappointment at the perpetrators, saying they possessed “low IQ”.

Fans on social media have also lamented the use of the chant, calling it outdated and annoying.

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