Novak Djokovic continued his battle with spectators at the Australian Open, after a heckler told the reigning champion to "get vaccinated" during his third-round victory.
As the world No.1 served for the match on Friday night against Argentinian 30th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Djokovic had to take a moment, after a member of the crowd was heard yelling "get vaccinated, mate".
Djokovic, 36, immediately pulled out of his service routine, and walked towards the crowd, before returning to seal his win.
The incident comes two days after similar scenes in the second round, where Djokovic was seen telling a fan to "say it to my face" after another taunt from the crowd.
Throughout the first week of the Australian Open, Djokovic has been open about feeling unwell.
"I haven't had a COVID test," Djokovic said post-match. "It's kind of a regular viral infection that I've been through.
"Now it's in its last stages. I still have some secrete coming out. That's all it is."
Djokovic has been a strong opponent to forced vaccination, notably during the COVID-19 pandemic, and also opposed vaccine mandates within tennis.
In January 2022, Djokovic was kicked out of Australia over his refusal to be vaccinated, and missed the chance to defend his title.
Since 2019, Djokovic has won four of the last five Australian Open men's singles titles, with the only exception being in 2022, over his refusal to be vaccinated.
In August 2022, Djokovic was also unable to compete at the US Open, again over his refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Novak Djokovic continued his battle with spectators at the Australian Open, after a heckler told the reigning champion to "get vaccinated" during his third-round victory.
As the world No.1 served for the match on Friday night against Argentinian 30th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Djokovic had to take a moment, after a member of the crowd was heard yelling "get vaccinated, mate".
Djokovic, 36, immediately pulled out of his service routine, and walked towards the crowd, before returning to seal his win.
The incident comes two days after similar scenes in the second round, where Djokovic was seen telling a fan to "say it to my face" after another taunt from the crowd.
Throughout the first week of the Australian Open, Djokovic has been open about feeling unwell.
"I haven't had a COVID test," Djokovic said post-match. "It's kind of a regular viral infection that I've been through.
"Now it's in its last stages. I still have some secrete coming out. That's all it is."
Djokovic has been a strong opponent to forced vaccination, notably during the COVID-19 pandemic, and also opposed vaccine mandates within tennis.
In January 2022, Djokovic was kicked out of Australia over his refusal to be vaccinated, and missed the chance to defend his title.
Since 2019, Djokovic has won four of the last five Australian Open men's singles titles, with the only exception being in 2022, over his refusal to be vaccinated.
In August 2022, Djokovic was also unable to compete at the US Open, again over his refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
