- Novak Djokovic had to deal with relentless heckling
- Serbian understood why Danielle Collins reacted
- Collins has been labelled ‘most hated player in tennis’
- Follows antics in win over Aussie Destanee Aiava
Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic has declared he is a ‘big fan’ of Australian Open villain Danielle Collins as unruly crowd behaviour threatens to escalate at Melbourne Park.
Djokovic, 37, had to endure relentless heckling from a drunk fan during his straight sets win over 26th seed Tomas Machac at Rod Laver Arena on Friday.
The 10-time champion was seen pleading with the umpire to subdue animated supporters, and his frustration was clear after moving through to the fourth round.
At one stage, Djokovic’s temper appeared to get the better of him.
Fed up, he told the supporter to ‘shut the f*** up, you f***ing idiot’.
And seconds after nailing a match-winning backhand passing shot down the line, the seventh seed turned to the chief heckler in the crowd and let him know who was victorious.
British left-hander Jack Draper has also copped it from ‘fans’ after knocking out local hopes Thanasi Kokkinakis and Aleksandar Vukic.
And then there is Collins, who is clearly loving her polarising status.
She has since been labelled the ‘most hated player in the sport’ after slapping her backside and mocking the crowd following her win against Aussie Destanee Aiava – and the 2022 Open finalist couldn’t care less.
Collins got under the skin of many when she thanked the crowd for funding her ‘five-star vacation to the Bahamas.’
While the Australian public may loathe her, she has an ally in Djokovic.
‘I loved her response. I loved it, everything she said on the court, off the court. Big fan of Danielle Collins after that,’ he said.
‘I was before but, now, big fan. I love it.
‘I heard some comments of people that she shouldn’t have said that or that. I think she handled it really well.
‘I don’t think I would be that polite, and I know exactly the feeling.
‘So I think she was funny, smart, and just big fan of what she did. Big fan.’
It comes after Djokovic said a ‘few people here and there’ have lacked decorum in his eyes at Melbourne Park.
‘I understand you have few drinks….then you get into it, but on the court it’s frustrating and it comes in a bad moment,’ he said.
‘When it is constant provoking, then of course it comes to the point where you just respond.’
Djokovic next faces Czech star Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round as he chases a record 25th grand slam singles title.
