Emotional Djokovic overcomes hecklers to defeat Tomas Machac in Melbourne

The Serbian great defeated Czech 26th seed Tomas Machac 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 in a spirited contest that was anything but routine.

Djokovic navigated a rollercoaster of emotions, dealing with relentless heckling, medical interruptions, and moments of visible frustration before securing his passage into the next round.

During the match, Djokovic pleaded with the umpire to quieten the crowd, before losing his temper in the second set and telling the heckler to "shut the f*** up, you f***ing idiot".

Djokovic also requested medical attention for an unspecified illness early in the second set and left the court for additional treatment before the start of the third.

However, he also displayed his lighter side, offering a witty comeback to another fan's outburst during his on-court interview after the match. "Sorry mate, I have a wife," he quipped, adding, "Maybe we can have a drink later."

While he tried to make light of the situation, the fiery exchanges and ongoing crowd provocations had Djokovic admitting after the match that some spectators at Melbourne Park were overstepping the mark.

"Yeah, few people here and there," he said.

"I understand you have few drinks more, and then you get into it, but on the court it's frustrating and it comes in a bad moment.

"If it's repetitive, it happens for an hour, somebody tells you in the corner things that you don't want to hear and constant provoking, then of course it comes to the point where you just respond.

"So I tried to tolerate but then at one point I had to respond, and that's all. That's all to say about it."

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