It’s certainly been a hot start to the Australian Open and, as is usually the case, tempers are flaring.

Marcos Baghdatis’ band of supporters are an Open highlight each year; the passionate Cypriots get behind their man like few others.

But their rambunctious support got the better of Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on the opening night on Monday.

Tsonga was incensed by the heckling from Baghdatis fans between points – so much so he wanted the chair umpire to give them a warning.

“It’s tennis, man,” Tsonga declared.

“Who do I give a warning to Joe?” asked the umpire.

Watch the lengthy exchange below:

The red mist hits Fog

And Fabio Fognini was left furious during his first-round loss to Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller.

The Italian, who entered the tournament seeded 20th, had a terrific exchange with the umpire – but mostly with himself.

Watch him let fly with some quality self-loathing.

#AOenTST @fabiofogna enloquecio… pic.twitter.com/kFFx8iGZw5

— Todo Sobre Tenis (@Tsobretenis) January 19, 2016

The heat must have really got to Fognini, when he issued one of the all-time great challenges to a ball that cleared the baseline by a metre.

No contest, the single greatest challenge in the history of tennis by Fabio Fognini. Only missed it by 5 feet! pic.twitter.com/DLx2LmZYKD — The Tennis Nerds (@TheTennisNerds) January 19, 2016

Raonic – part man, part machine

Milos Raonic has been widely touted as a man who could one day rule men’s tennis.

And the Canadian is always looking for an edge, no matter how odd it may seem.

Take, for example, his bionic sleeve that first appeared a couple of years ago.

The Canadian admits he wears it purely for mental reasons.

Now he’s doing something even more strange – he’s wearing a mouthguard.

Milos Raonic’s mouthpiece. Photo: Getty

It seems inconceivable that a man who has reflexes that allow him to make a living as a professional tennis player would be worried about being hit in the mouth.

It seems the mouthguard could, like his sleeve, be used for purely psychological purposes, although there has been some research into the use of them to promote better breathing and jaw position.

Is this the latest in sports science fads?

Remember breathing tape on the nostrils? Or Li Na’s rather modern art take on physio tape?

Li Na’s knee tape could be an exhibit at the NGV. Photo: Getty

Genie or Jenie?

Now, this one has us confused.

Canadian superstar-in-the-making Eugenie Bouchard’s nickname is ‘Genie’. Pretty straightforward enough, or so we thought.

So why then, in a piece of custom jewellery, does she spell it with a ‘J’?

Could an inattentive boyfriend be to blame?

Bouchard’s necklace. Photo: Getty