Djokovic challenges Australian Open heckler before surviving Popyrin scare

Novak Djokovic survived a scare for the second match in succession to reach the third round of the Australian Open. The defending champion, who came through the longest first-round match of his grand slam career on Sunday, had to save four set points on his serve to avoid falling 2-1 down to Australia’s Alexei Popyrin.

The world No 1 eventually took the third set on a tie-break and appeared to be inspired by an exchange of words with a spectator in the fourth on his way to a 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory on Rod Laver Arena.

It was not clear if the 10-time champion asked for the spectator to be removed but former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios, who is commentating for TV, said on Eurosport: “Just say the word Novak and I’ll run out of this commentary box and escort him out myself.”

Explaining what happened later, Djokovic said: “I mean, you don’t want to know [what he said]. There was a lot of things that were being told to me on the court, particularly from that corner, and the same side the other corner. I was tolerating it for most of the match.

“At one point I had enough, and I asked him whether he wants to come down and tell it to my face. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t have the courage to come down. That’s what I was asking him. If you have courage, if you’re such a tough man, tough guy, come down and tell it to my face, and let’s have a discussion about it.”

Novak Djokovic points to a spectator during his second-round defeat of Alexei Popyrin. Photograph: Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/AP

Popyrin was left to rue failing to convert any of his four set points in the ninth game of the third set and Djokovic said in his on-court interview: “He had quite an easy forehand and he missed it. I didn’t do anything special, I was lucky at that point and that game to get away. He was the better player for a set and a half. The momentum shifted in the tie-break, I managed to put one more ball in the court than he did but that’s all.

“I think I played maybe at the highest level in some instances but also credit to him for tactically coming out with the right game plan and serving big. He deserves a big round of applause for the performance.

“I haven’t been playing my best but particularly in the early rounds you play players who have nothing to lose, they come out on the centre court trying to play their best tennis and I think both my first- and second-round opponents were really great quality tennis players and I managed to find a way to win. Hopefully I’ll be able to build as the tournament progresses.”

Djokovic’s form will offer some hope to his third-round opponent, Argentina’s Tomás Martín Etcheverry. “I was feeling a lot of mixed emotions on the court, not a great atmosphere to play in for me,” Djokovic told Eurosport. “It’s frustrating when you have the hecklers.”