Novak Djokovic got a drunk fan kicked out for constant heckling during his second-round win over French qualifier Enzo Couacaud at the Australian Open.
The 35-year-old Serb, going for a record-extending 10th men’s triumph in Melbourne, won 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-0 against Couacaud.
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Djokovic had a medical timeout, seemingly hampered by an existing hamstring injury, but came through.
"The guy's 𝐝𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝… he's not here to watch tennis!"
A furious Novak Djokovic pleads with the umpire to remove a loud spectator from the audience 😤#AusOpen | @DjokerNole pic.twitter.com/IiASc4pyEj
— Eurosport (@eurosport) January 19, 2023
He was also constantly heckled by a group of four fans sporting the ‘Where’s Wally?’ dress.
Frustrated at the constant jabs, Djokovic approached the umpire early in the fourth set and demanded that the spectators be removed from the Rod Laver Aerna.
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“The guy is drunk out of his mind,” Djokovic told chair umpire Fergus Murphy.
“From the first point he’s been provoking me.
“He’s not here to watch tennis, he just wants to get in my head, you heard him at least 10 times, I heard him 50.”
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“What are you going to do about it? Get him out of the stadium,” he added.
The four fans were escorted out of the stadium following the game.
Seeds fall
Though Djokovic stood strong despite a wobble in the second set, several seeded players in the men’s section were knocked out.
Second seed Casper Ruud, Taylor Fritz, Alexander Zverev and Diego Schwartzman were all sent packing on day four at Melbourne Park.
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World No 3 Ruud went down 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-2 against hard-hitting Jenson Brooksby.
Eighth seed Fritz was also on his way home after wildcard local hope Alexei Popyrin beat him 6-7 (4), 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-2.
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Zverev, the 12th seed, suffered another setback on his return from serious injury as he lost to 107th-ranked Michael Mmoh.
