Djokovic was heckled and insulted by a small group of fans who were inebriated. It is unclear what they said to him, but the Serb eventually lost his cool in the fourth set when he demanded that the fans be removed from the stadium.

Chair umpire Fergus Murphy obliged soon after and the fans were ejected from the stadium. Naturally, the nine-time Australian Open champion was quizzed on the topic during his press conference, where he made it clear that he does not want to generalize fans based on a few bad eggs.

Djokovic further stressed that he does not like fans who do not respect a player’s boundaries. He also revealed that the individual in question was meting out distasteful comments to him throughout the match.

Explaining that there is only so much one can tolerate, the 35-year-old lamented the fact that the Australian Open authorities did not intervene on time. He reckons an early intervention on their part could have spared him the ignominy of being painted as the “bad guy” by the media.

Djokovic believes players should never be put in a similar situation such as himself given that the impetus for maintaining decorum lies in the hands of the chair umpire and supervisor.

The Serb was, however, grateful that chair umpire Fergus Murphy eventually took action and sent the unruly fans packing from the stadium.

Novak Djokovic to face Grigor Dimitrov in the third round of the Australian Open 2023

Novak Djokovic will face a buoyant Grigor Dimitrov in the third round of the Australian Open on Saturday, in what will be the Serb’s toughest test at the tournament so far.

Dimitrov has looked in fine form so far, having accounted for Aslan Karatsev and Laslo Djere in straight sets. However, he will be wary of his poor head-to-head record against the Serb, given he has only beaten the latter once in 10 meetings.

The Bulgarian beat Djokovic way back in 2013, and has since gone on to lose seven consecutive matches against the former World No. 1. But it is pertinent to note that the two have not faced each other since 2019.

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