A red flag for Seven

Tennis

For any Australian who has sat down to watch their home Grand Slam on Channel 7, they are supplied with the usual score interface located in a corner of the screen, which allows them to know who has the advantage in the match. It also serves the purpose of letting them know what corner of the world the players have come from, assuming that corner of the world is Australia.

Yes, for the previous week of the Australian Open we have been confronted by an Australian flag on the scoreboard. That, of course, isn't a problem. But the lack of the foreign one above or below it is concerning. Suddenly, I get the instant impression that there is only one person of significance standing on the Melbourne Plexicushion. We have a local hero, someone we are given a visual cue to support, and a faceless (and nationless) opponent. Something isn't right here.

Some will be quick to defend this one flag policy from Seven, saying that those who do not regularly watch tennis are given a free guide as to where the local hopes lie. It makes some sense, as even those who don't have great sports interest do feel an unnoticed attachment to our sporting culture when a large, international event arrives on our doorstep. But ask yourself this, why then not include the opponent's flag? What is lost from doing so? You'll struggle to find a citizen who doesn't recognise their own flag, so I'm sure when faced with a pair of coloured rectangles they'll know which one belongs to the good guy and which one belongs to the bad guy, yes?

I first felt a real uneasiness about the flagless opponent when young Australian hope Bernard Tomic played Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in what was the first round's most hotly anticipated match. Here is Verdasco, a man who in the 2009 semi-final went down to then world number one Rafael Nadal in one of the most thrilling five-set matches I've watched in my life. Then there's the young boy who we remember made the Wimbledon quarter finals this year. But unlike the Spaniard, he gets a flag. So just like that all non-regular viewers are given a faceless, even homeless, opponent. Where's he from? Doesn't matter, he's not from here. What a way to make regular tennis followers quiver in disgust. The lack of a flag is saying that the past achievements mean nothing, and that you are a lousy pawn in the path of a great home victory.

Seven seems to be so hungry and desperate for ratings that they will happily make us look like nationalistic fools to get there. Some would think I'm being extreme with all this. I mean, the interface is only used for the Australian broadcast, right? So what damage could it do to our image. Well think of all the visitors watching the footage between their time at the ground. "Why does the Aussie have a flag but not our player?" "Seems like blind patriotism, doesn't it?" Yes, made-up tourist, you nailed it.

And then think of the Australian fans who support players who aren't local and also those outside the internationally renowned top four male players. What do they think of it all? Two of my personal favourite players, Alexandr Dolgopolov and Milos Raonic, made out to be another faceless wall in the way of the Australian bandwagon train, whose brakes are only applied when "AUS" no longer appears on the draw.

Get real, Channel 7. Aussies aren't the only people watching your coverage. One-time viewers aren't the only people watching your coverage. Regular fans are watching your coverage, and they are shaking their heads. Barring a miracle Lleyton Hewitt victory tonight over world number one and defending champion Novak Djokovic, perhaps the true fans will take some comfort in knowing that no-one gets a flag in the main draw next week, male or female.