‘He Didn’t Have the Courage’ – Novak Djokovic Sheds Light on Ill-Tempered Interaction With Heckler at Australian Open

Novak Djokovic surely did not expect this, did he? Entering the Australian Open as the defending champion, the World Number 1 has had to dig deep in his first two rounds at the tournament. Although the Serb emerged victorious, he lost a set in both matches. He has looked far from the form that he showed last year, winning three Grand Slam titles. Additionally, he was involved in a controversial event during his second-round contest. Later, Djokovic opened up about the incident.

Facing the local star Popyrin wasn’t easy for Djokovic, as the crowd was very vocal against him. Eventually, the Serb won the contest in over three hours: 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3. Here’s what happened in his match and his reaction following that incident.

Novak Djokovic reacts to the heckling incident

During the fourth set, one of the fans inside the stadium made an inappropriate comment towards Djokovic. The Serb appeared to have heard it and approached the fan to say it to his face. Tempers flew as Djokovic paused the match briefly. During the post-match press conference, an interviewer asked him what the fan said to him that made him angry.

Replying to this question, Djokovic said, “I mean, you don’t want to know (smiling). There was a lot of things that were being told to me on the court, particularly from that corner, and the same side the other corner. I was tolerating it for most of the match. At one point I had enough, and I asked him whether he wants to come down and tell it to my face.”

Further, he went on to add, “When you confront somebody, unfortunately for him, he didn’t have the courage to come down. That’s what I was asking him. If you have courage, if you’re such a tough man, tough guy, come down and tell it to my face, and let’s have a discussion about it. He was apologizing from far away. That’s all it is.”

DIVE DEEPER: Father of 2 Novak Djokovic Sets Priorities Clear as He Lays Bare His Sacrifices for ‘Bigger Than Anything’ Reward

Djokovic hasn’t had the greatest of starts to the year. Additionally, the Australian Open has been a disappointment for him on the personal front. Before the start of the tournament, his wife made a saddening admission.

Djokovic’s wife skips the Australian Open

While Djokovic’s wife, Jelena, often travels with the tennis legend at the tournaments, she is missing from the stands at this year’s Australian Open. Before the start of the Grand Slam Down Under, she revealed that she won’t be cheering for her husband from the stands at the tournament this year.

The news broke out while Jelena was responding to a fan question on social media. Last year, Djokovic’s father was missing in the stands at the same tournament. However, the Serb went on to win the title. Can he repeat his heroics this year as well? Let us know your views in the comments below.

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