Return of the bad boys at Australian Open

Tennis's legendary hell-raisers gave way long ago to on-court politeness and gentlemanly behaviour, but the bad boys are back with a vengeance at the Australian Open.

From Marcos Baghdatis' multiple racquet-smash to Tomas Berdych's sulk after beating Nicolas Almagro, controversies were a hallmark of the opening rounds.

David Nalbandian rowed furiously with the chair umpire after he was refused a Hawk-Eye challenge, and he was fined US$8,000 for splashing water at a tournament worker shortly afterwards -- a charge he strenuously denies.

Baghdatis pummelled four racquets into mangled wrecks in quick succession, in a display of rage which quickly became an Internet hit and also earned the former finalist a fine.

And Berdych was booed mercilessly by the crowd and branded a "sore winner" after he refused to shake Almagro's hand, accusing him of beaming a forehand at his face.

It's not what tennis has become accustomed to, following the onset of more professional methods and the gradual realisation that tantrums do not win matches.

Roger Federer was famously petulant in his early days, but after controlling his temper he went on to win 16 grand slam titles, an all-time record.

"People don't remember me from 10, 12 years ago. They only remember me from sort of seven, eight years ago where I never threw a racquet," Federer said.

"So that's also why I just know how to keep my act together, and, I don't know, guess be a good role model and just keep it calm. Works well."

The Federer model has become widely accepted with Andy Murray now searching for more calmness and Novak Djokovic calling "emotional balance" key to his rise to number one. Rafael Nadal is also a picture of concentration on court.

But a quick look at Internet footage reveals a multitude of profanity-laden rants in tennis's older years, making today's outbursts look mild.

"Baghdatis smashed a couple of racquets and it's a huge thing. I mean, before the guys were way worse behaved and said way, way worse things to the umpires," Murray said.

"I think it's pretty mild compared with what happened. I guess the more you keep your emotions in check, the better. That's what I've done well so far this week."

However, the occasional tantrum clearly does not hurt tennis's publicity, with the Baghdatis racquet-smash drawing more than 350,000 hits on YouTube and the Berdych incident attracting another 200,000.