Tennis star Novak Djokovic is competing in the 2024 Australian Open, seeking his 25th Grand Slam title and 11th win in Melbourne. On January 20, Djokovic won his third-round match against Tomas Martin Etcheverry in straight sets, extending his winning streak at Melbourne Park to 31.
Novak Djokovic unfazed by unwanted shouts from the crowd
However, the victory was not without controversy. As Djokovic was preparing to serve for match point, a fan in the crowd shouted, “Get vaccinated, mate,” leading to murmurs and boos from the audience. Djokovic faced a heckler urging him to get vaccinated. Despite the distraction, Djokovic stepped back and served an ace that advanced him to the fourth round. With two sets in his bag, the third set was tied at 6-6. An ace progressed him into the next round, as the heckler’s words seemed to have no impact on Djokovic.
https://twitter.com/Liz_Wheeler/status/1748725987972350178
Novak Djokovic, known for his stance against the COVID-19 vaccine, refused to take the vaccine, leading to his deportation from Australia in 2022. Although he was initially granted an exemption to compete in the 2022 Australian Open, upon arrival, he was informed that his exemption was not valid, resulting in his deportation by Immigration Minister Alex Hawke. Djokovic returned to the tournament in 2023 and won his 10th Australian Open title. Djokovic has been vocal about his experience, describing himself as a “villain of the world” during the 2022 incident.
Djokovic faced Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in the fourth round. Novak Djokovic demonstrated dominance at the Australian Open, defeating Adrian Mannarino 6-0, 6-0, 6-3 in the fourth round. Despite Mannarino’s challenging lefty, flat-hitting style, Djokovic capitalized on the Frenchman’s fatigue from three consecutive five-set matches.
Magnificent Nole 👏@DjokerNole cruises to the quarter-finals after a 6-0 6-0 6-3 win over Mannarino 🚢@AustralianOpen | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/gPJaYzQymB
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 21, 2024
Djokovic praised his opponent and reflected on his solid performance following his victory as he said “Obviously never easy to play Adrian, who is a very unorthodox player, uses the angles really well and has got one of the flattest and most consistent backhands in the game. It’s kind of a cat and mouse, really, tennis match against him. So I had to in a way physically endure the long rallies and try to run him around the court, which I did and I think I served very well. In the moments when I needed to come up with the first serve I did, so all in all a great performance.”
Novak Djokovic now has 58 Grand Slam quarter-final appearances, the most in its history, alongside Roger Federer.
Make that 58 Grand Slam quarter-final appearances🤩
With the win, @DjokerNole equals @rogerfederer's all-time record for most appearances in the last 8 at the majors.@AustralianOpen | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/phXz90nuWW
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 21, 2024
Eyeing the record 25th Grand Slam, Novak Djokovic faces 12th seed Taylor Fritz, who just beat Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final. It seems like Djokovic is the clear favorite against Fritz as experience makes a lot of difference.
Read more: Mirra Andreeva Makes Historic Comeback Against Diane Parry, Secures 4th Round Entry At Aus Open
