Novak Djokovic wasn't too impressed after being relentlessly heckled by a spectator dressed as Where's Wally, claiming the fan was 'drunk out of his mind'.
The Serbian tennis star then pleaded with the chair umpire for the fan be kicked out of the Australian Open.
And that's exactly what happened with security eventually escorting the group from the arena.
During his 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-0 victory over Enzo Couacaud in the second round, Djokovic was heckled on a number of occasions.
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At one point, the nine-time Australian Open champion yelled to the crowd: “Shut up! Thank you!”️
But it was during the fourth set where he'd had enough, finally realising that the hecklers consisted of a group of blokes donning Where's Wally costumes.
Complaining to the chair umpire, Djokovic cried: “He’s been provoking all night, the entire night, the entire night — what are you going to do about it?” Djokovic complained to the umpire.
“What are you going to do about it? What?”
He added: “You’re kidding me, you know who it is. The guy’s drunk out of his mind. From the first point he’s been provoking. He’s not here to watch tennis. He just wants to get in my head. So I’m asking you, what are you going to do about it? You’ve heard him at least 10 times — I’ve heard him 50 times. What are you going to do about it?
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“Why not? Why don’t you get security guards and get him out of the stadium?”
It wasn't long before the television cameras found the wallys-in-question and they were met with a chorus of boos as their faces appeared on the big screen.
The group was subsequently booted off the premises, one of the fellas blowing 'The Djoker' a kiss on the way out.
Djokovic, a 21-time grand slam champion, went on to win the match – his 23rd consecutive victory at Melbourne Park.
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“The super majority of people are always respectful,” Djokovic said in his post-match press conference.
“What I have a problem with is when somebody‘s crossing the line – numerous times. From the very beginning, guys that were under the influence of alcohol, it was obvious, and I was grabbing my towel very close to them, particularly one guy, you heard his voice various times tonight, was insulting me and provoking me and saying things that were not respectful at all.”
He continued: “It’s just unnecessary because why should we as players be put in a position where we have to always react when it‘s been two hours. It’s not been 10 minutes. This is what I mind, and this is why I felt the need to go out there because I had enough, you know?
“I can tolerate five, six times somebody telling me something, but there is a limit. That limit was crossed, and I stepped in and I asked the chair umpire, is he going to do something about it or not? He did, and I thanked him.”
Featured Image Credit: Alamy/Twitter/@eurosportTopics: Australia, Australian Open, Tennis, Novak Djokovic
