Players, reporters cuddle up to wildlife in Oz

Jan 24, 2018
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Players, reporters cuddle up to wildlife in Oz

Published Jan 24, 2018

The hot summer sun and sports-crazed Australians aren’t the only things that make the Australian Open the Happy Slam. Australia’s wildlife is as charming and exotic as it gets—a fact many of the players get to experience when they come to Melbourne Park.

David Goffin, Karolina Pliskova, and Alexander Zvererv were among the stars to get cozy with the animal contingent this year.

The Koalas are always popular with the players:

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As our the baby wallabies:

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The tennis players aren’t the only ones getting to know the natives. Will Smith, who’s been busy at this year’s Open, got a little too cozy with this eagle.

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As usual, though, no one can top Federer’s popularity—even among the animals. This quokka seems to know exactly who Federer is and can’t hide its excitement.

Even members of the media got to have a go with getting incredible selfies.

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How jealous are you right now?

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Read Joel Drucker on TENNIS.com as he reports from the Australian Open—and watch him each day on The Daily Mix:

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