Novak Djokovic Urges Umpire to Eject Provocative Drunken Fans From The Arena

Novak Djokovic was furious at the chair umpire after a group of fans was seen provoking him during his second-round match at the Australia Open 2023.

Djokovic felt triggered by drunken fans

During his match against Enzo Cuacuad, Djokovic was repeatedly triggered by four ‘drunk’ fans at the Rod Laver Arena. An enraged Djokovic then demanded that the fans be ejected from the arena.

The incident occurred during the third set of the match. Djokovic was up 2-0 at the time. He was compelled to suspend his serve after four fans dressed as ‘Where’s Wally?’ chanted repeatedly.

He finally had to approach the umpire

Djokovic then approached the chair umpire directly, and said, “You know who it is. The guy’s drunk out of his mind. From the first point, he’s been provoking me. He’s not here to watch tennis. He just wants to get in my head.”

He then questioned the umpire, saying, “So I’m asking you, what are you going to do about it? You heard him at least 10 times. I heard him 50 times. What are you going to do about it? Why don’t you get him out of the stadium? Why?”

Djokovic had to resume play since the chair umpire remained unmoved. But a few minutes later, the stadium’s security officers could be seen escorting spectators out of the arena. Ultimately, Djokovic would triumph 6-1, 6-7, 6-2, 6-0.

In the third round of the competition, Djokovic will go up against Grigor Dimitrov. The Serbian wants to be ready for the next round, which is planned for Saturday, January 21, after struggling with his hamstring injury during the second-round match.

Also, Read: Rafael Nadal sidelined for 6-8 weeks with a hip flexor injury