Some boos were heard at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday afternoon after Novak Djokovic appeared to decline a post-match interview following his straight sets victory against Jiri Lehecka.
During the tournament, players will typically remain on the court to conduct a post-match interview with the announcers and reflect on the match.
But tonight, the 24-time Grand Slam winner took the microphone and gave a brief thank you to the fans inside the stadium, before marching into the tunnel.
Djokovic, who had scored a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) victory against Lehecka, however stayed to sign some autographs with the crowd for a brief period, before walking down the tunnel.
“Thank you very much for being here tonight,” he said into the microphone.
'I appreciate your presence and support and see you in the next round. Thank you very much,” he added before heading directly to the tunnel.
It's unclear what sparked the 10-time Australian Open champion's moment.
He was later seen backstage speaking to tournament director Craig Tiley and cut a frustrated figure, waving his hands as he spoke.
At some points during the match, the 37-year-old appeared to be outraged by sections of the crowd who had shouted and tried to throw Djokovic off his game.
Some had also shouted at him while he was serving, and the Serb was seen sighing before shaking his head.
During one point in the match, Djokovic was trying to save serve when a fan shouted, angering the Serb. He protested to the chair umpire, Mohamed Lahyani, about the interruption, but the referee waved him off.
“I don't think anyone did it on purpose,” he said.
Despite the boos, Djokovic secured a place in the quarterfinals for the 15th time in his career.
The result set him up for a mouth-watering showdown against Carlos Alcaraz, who also advanced this afternoon after British star Jack Draper withdrew from their fourth-round clash with a hip injury.
More to follow…