Novak Djokovic explodes at fan after he tells opponent Andrey Rublev to “send him home”
The Serbian was not happy with the constant heckling from the stands and he let the umpire know
Follow Us
Novak Djokovic complains to the umpire
Novak Djokovic asked umpire James Keothavong to step in after being heckled by spectators during his quarterfinal match against Andrey Rublev at the 2023 Australian Open. He was clearly irritated by the constant jeering and taunts as he told the umpire, “Can you tell the front guy to shut up or not? Every point you’re not reacting.”
The heckling started in the first set itself. The fan in the stands was heard continuously saying, “Send him home Rublev, send him home.” Djokovic initially ignored it but then took the matter to the umpire.
“As I said, if somebody steps over the line and starts making comments that are not related to support of the other player, he just wants to provoke and insult, then stepping over the line is something that I react to. Maybe not first time, second time, but after that yes. Then I ask the chair umpire to react,” Djokovic said.
“After that, I heard him, but he was supporting Rublev. He was not making any bad comments till the end of the match, so I didn’t have any complaints about that further on.” The Serbian explained why the relentless heckling affects the game and ruins the spectacle for the supporters as well.
“It’s just unnecessary because why should we as players be put in a position where we have to always react when it’s been two hours. It’s not been 10 minutes. This is what I mind, and this is why I felt the need to go out there because I had enough, you know?” Djokovic said. The Serbian wasn’t overly affected though, as he still dominated his clash against Andrey Rublev.
Novak Djokovic bests Andrey Rublev in quarterfinal clash
Djokovic was able to get past Rublev in straight sets. He lost just seven games across three sets. With this win, the Serbian proved that he is indeed the favorite for the Australian Open title.
Djokovic started the match in a blitz. He won five games in a row to win the first set 6-1. The second set started evenly. But at 2-2, Djokovic hit his foot on the gas. He won four in a row, this time to win 6-2. The third set was more challenging as both players won their service games. But Djokovic finally broke Rublev at 5-4 to secure progress to the next round.
He will now face American Tommy Paul in the last four. Djokovic hasn’t faced Paul in his career yet. But he is aware of the qualities of the 25-year-old and praised him post-match. The duo plays each other on Friday.
Incase you missed it:
Novak Djokovic hopes to play tennis with his son in the future
Stay Updated!
Samarth Srivastava
(139 Articles Published)