Novak Djokovic has made it to the quarter-finals of the ongoing 2024 Australian Open, but not without controversy. It has not been a smooth ride for the Serb, who continues to have a lot of friction with the Australian crowd, two years since getting deported in 2022 for refusing to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
Djokovic faced challenges from the very beginning
The defending champion was far from his best and was clearly pushed all the way by Croatian teenager Dino Prižmić in his opening match for this year's Australian Open. The match lasted four hours and extended to four sets before Djokovic managed to seal the victory, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4.
Fans did not expect Djokovic to struggle so much in the first round, and things became even more tense in his second round match on Wednesday against home bet Alexei Popyrin. The Serb had apparently been dealing with a cold over the past several days, and he was seen blowing his nose multiple times during the match.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion took the first set but lost the second, giving the home crowd a lot to get excited about as they backed the Australian. The second-set loss made it clear once again that Djokovic is only operating at a fraction of his capabilities.
The fourth set went all the way to a tie break, and Djokovic eventually wrapped up the match 6-3, 4-6, 7-6, 6-3. However, it wasn't the actual victory that had people talking. Instead, Djokovic has found himself in the headlines due to his outburst and confrontation with a fan in the fourth set.
After getting distracted by some heckling from someone in the crowd, Djokovic turned to the stands and said: "If you are brave enough to tell me this from the stands, come here and tell me to my face."
A fired-up Djokovic then won three games in a row to eventually take control of the match and win. He then decided to look back at the crowd to clench his fist in celebration after sealing the victory.
Someone just said something disrespectful to Djokovic during his match with Popyrin
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 17, 2024
Novak: "You wanna come here? Come say it to my face."
Respect the athletes. pic.twitter.com/nIGjR6rb1J
Djokovic later spoke to the press and admitted that he was annoyed by the noises coming from the stands. He said: "I invited the guy to come and say it to my face. He was then apologising and there is an absence of courage when he has to face me."
Djokovic continued to receive abuse from the crowd
Unfortunately, the heckling did not stop and got even worse. On Friday night, when Djokovic was playing his third round match against Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry, someone in the crowd decided to speak out after seeing Djokovic blow his nose.
The unnamed person yelled: "Get vaccinated mate!"
Djokovic obviously heard the jibe, and responded by walking momentarily away from the baseline to compose himself. The crowd started to boo before Djokovic eventually returned to make his serve.
He eventually wrapped up the match 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2).
He later spoke about the incident and said that the fan crossed the line and he was not going to simply say that it was okay. He told the press: "I'm not going to sit and say it's all good. It's not good. Of course, it upsets me. I'm frustrated. I don't want to be experiencing that."
Due to his obvious illness, a reported inquired if had been tested for Covid-19. He admitted that he had not gotten himself tested, but insisted that he was only dealing with a "regular viral infection.
"Now it's in its last stages. I still have some secrete coming out. That's all it is."
Despite the issues, Djokovic becomes stronger on court
After challenging matches in the first two rounds, Djokovic was in complete control on Friday against Etcheverry. He never faced a break point and managed to create 34 winners.
He improved even more on Sunday when he thrashed Adrian Mannarino in the fourth round, 6-0, 6-0, 6-3. The Frenchman was dealing with some fatigue after three five-set matches in the previous rounds, but he did not suffer long against the World No. 1.
It took Mannarino three sets before he got on the scoresheet, and he received a standing ovation from the crowd simply for being able to avoid three bagels.
Djokovic has made it to the quarter-finals where he will face Taylor Fritz on Tuesday. It remains to be seen if his "regular viral infection" will continue to bother him. At the same time, he will be hoping that there will no longer be any more unnecessary distractions from the stands.
