Novak Djokovic on putting heckler in his place: ‘There was an absence of courage when he found me’

Novak Djokovic issued a call for proper decorum from fans on a day when he was heckled only to quickly draw an apology from the Australian Open spectator when he confronted him from the court.

Playing against a home player was always going to create some discomfort for Djokovic but he was visibly annoyed with the fan challenging him to say it to his face.

He is hopeful that the energy on court will be more positive in his next match.

Djokovic said that part of being a champion is finding ways to win when things are against you.

“I was feeling a lot of mixed emotions on the court; not a great atmosphere for me to play, but you have to find a way to win and accept the circumstances.

“People made noise between first and second serve the whole match. It is what it is and of course it annoys you but you have to accept it and go with it. It really annoys me when I get heckled.

“I invited a guy to say it to my face and he was apologising from far away. All of a sudden there was an absence of courage when he found me.

“I’m definitely not feeling playing my best but I’ve been in this situation many times and hopefully I will build as the tournament progresses I know what to do.

“The good thing about a Slam is that you have a rest day between matches and hopefully things will go in a positive way for me.”

WATCH: Fired up Novak Djokovic challenges heckling fan to ‘come down and say it to my face’

Despite notching the win, Djokovic was assessed as being far from 100% by Nick Kyrgios.

“Novak’s record in Grand Slams and against Australians in general and you saw how much that third set meant to Alexei. He had the opportunities and was the better player for most of the match which is crazy to say against Novak Djokovic,” Kyrgios said after commentating on the match for Eurosport.

“We rarely wake up and feel 100%. He looked a little slower than usual and was trying to move that wrist. That extra day off tomorrow, he will use that and maybe have a light hit. You’ve just got to get on with it and him of all people is the best at that.”

Djokovic is only scheduled to be in action again on Saturday when he will face 30th seed Tomás Martín Etcheverry.

Watch every moment of the Australian Open live and exclusive on discovery+ and Eurosport