Djokovic defeated Jiri Lehecka with ease, setting up a tantalising quarterfinal matchup with Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open. Djokovic defeated the Czech 24th seed 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-4) to continue his quest for a record 25th Grand Slam victory. After the Spaniard advanced when British number one Jack Draper retired earlier on Sunday due to a hip injury, he will now face Alcaraz in the round of eight.
The Serb defeated the 21-year-old to earn gold at the Paris Olympics last summer, which Djokovic referred to as his “biggest sporting achievement.” Alcaraz had defeated Djokovic in the previous two Wimbledon championships. When Lehecka sought to force a fourth set, the audience jeered Djokovic, and the 11-time Australian Open champion quickly left Rod Laver Arena after winning.
“I sincerely appreciate your being here tonight. The 37-year-old stated, “Thank you for your support, and I’ll see you in the next round.” Following the match, Djokovic gave an explanation at a press conference for his decision to skip the customary on-court interview with four-time major champion Jim Courier.
“Novak, he’s overrated, Novak’s a has-been, Novak kick him out” was what Channel 9 newsreader Tony Jones yelled at Djokovic supporters on Friday while live on camera. “A couple days ago the famous sports journalist who works for official broadcaster Channel 9 here in Australia made a mockery of Serbian fans and also made insulting and offensive comments towards me,” Djokovic stated.
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Since then, he has refrained from apologising in public. Channel 9 didn’t either. I decided not to do interviews with Channel 9 because they are official broadcasters. I don’t hold anything against the Australian public or Jim Courier.For me, it was a really uncomfortable circumstance.
At times, Djokovic seemed worn out and need a medical timeout during his victory over Tomas Machac in the third round. Taking charge of the first two sets and preventing Lehecka from generating a break point for over an hour and forty minutes, he appeared more rested versus Machac’s countryman.
An enraged Djokovic yelled at his squad, which includes his erstwhile adversary Andy Murray, when Lehecka struck back at the beginning of the third set. He then complained about noise from the stands as he attempted to serve. In the tie-break, however, the seventh seed took advantage of the audience by leading them after a brilliant backhand pass and clutching his ear after a beautiful volley raised two match points.
“I think I handled it well when you are feeling adversity the last couple matches,” Djokovic said to Eurosport. “The only people who truly understand what you have to deal with are those who have been there at the top level. You have a lot on your plate, and when you feel pushed, you have to persevere through the difficulties.” In other news, second seed Alexander Zverev defeated France’s Ugo Humbert 6-1 2-6 6-3 6-2 to overcome a mid-match slump and advance to the round of eight.
Zverev, who finished second at the 2020 US Open and Roland Garros last year, has advanced to the Grand Slam quarterfinals 14 times but has not yet won a major championship. The 12th-seeded American Tommy Paul, who defeated Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1 6-1 6-1 in just 87 minutes, will play the German.
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