US Open 2021 tennis – Novak Djokovic says he’s not a ‘spoiled brat’ after getting heckled against Tallon Griekspoo

World No 1 Djokovic was far more comfortable than in his opening match in New York against Holger Rune as he came through 6-2 6-3 6-2.

In fact, one of the biggest frustrations for Djokovic was a fan who seemed intent on throwing him off his game by shouting and yelling out at important moments.

One such moment came when Djokovic missed an overhead along the way to getting broken for the only time in the match. He eventually spoke to the umpire about the rowdy fan, and said afterwards: “When tennis players talk about that, someone who is watching team sports would say, ‘What a spoiled brat’.

“But it’s a different sport. Look, there’s a lot of noise happening on the stadium, particularly in the night sessions. I don’t mind that.

“Even sometimes during the point it happens that people out of excitement, they just scream or they release like a sound or whatever, sigh, whatever you call it. And that’s fine.

“But if someone intentionally does it over and over again, then I have tolerance up to a certain point, then it’s not correct, then it’s not fine. It’s not fair. I feel like it’s not good for us players.”

Djokovic fired 33 winners to 20 unforced errors as he moved five wins away from securing a historic Calendar Slam.

While he didn’t enjoy the full support of the crowd in his opening win over Rune, this time it was just a single fan who riled him.

“I mean, particularly that guy for some reason was calling, raising the sound and kind of screaming just before I would hit my smash, which was a big point. Before that he would do a few times. After that again.

“That wasn’t nice. That’s all. I don’t mind the noise. Don’t get me wrong. I think it’s important for the entertainment, for the crowds, the music.

“I get it. But if someone does it over and over again, particularly when you are at his side, he knows why he’s doing it. The guy that I pointed out, he knew exactly what he was doing, and that’s all.”

Unlike after his win in the opening round, Djokovic gave his trademark heart-throwing celebration to fans on all four sides of the stadium.

He next faces Kei Nishikori, who he owns a 17-2 record against. However, Djokovic admits the weight of history is one of his biggest challenges in New York.

“Probably it’s more mental and emotional, really,” Djokovic said when asked whether chasing the Calendar Slam is more taxing physically or mentally.

“Physically, I feel great. I can go a couple of hours every day. I don’t mind being on the court for a long time. Actually the longer the match goes, I feel I have more chances to win against anybody in best of five. So it’s really more about handling everything that is happening off the court, all the expectations.

“But as I’ve said, [it’s] trying to take it moment by moment, really stay in the present moment, and get the most out of it. I’m as motivated as ever to do well. I’m not the only player who wants to go deep in the tournament. Hopefully, I’ll get my hands on the trophy. That’s why I’m here. I’m trying to be the best I can be every single day. Let’s see what happens.”

Djokovic has won the US Open three times but was disqualified in the fourth round last year for hitting the ball towards a line judge in frustration.