Novak Djokovic beat Jiri Lehica in straight sets to set up a thrilling quarter-final clash with Carlos Alcaraz but refused to answer questions after the match on court.
Djokovic, who is looking to break Margaret Court's men's and women's singles record of 24 Grand Slam titles, thanked the crowd for coming to support him but did not give the usual formal interview with Jim Courier.
The Serbian player seemed upset in the third set due to the crowd noise, and pointed to his ear in celebration after the big points to win 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).
“Thank you very much for your support and I will see you in the next round,” Djokovic said before signing some autographs and leaving the court.
Djokovic spoke later Eurosport On his match though: “I felt great. I had a few hiccups and a loose game when I broke him in the third. After that I had chances to break him but every time I had the chance he served hard.
“I dealt with the pressure moments and played some great points at the end.”
Novak Djokovic made his feelings clear to the crowd during the third set against Jiri Lehica
How did Djokovic beat Lehica?
The match had a cautious start, as the first six games were divided before Djokovic increased the speed of his strikes and took a 5-3 lead before clinching the set.
Djokovic broke his opponent's serve immediately at the beginning of the second set and maintained this advantage throughout the match, while Lehica committed several unforced errors.
Things changed in the third period when Lehica, after being broken again early in the third period, responded to break himself free and regain his rhythm.
Djokovic was unable to take advantage of the opportunities he had to break the serve, so the set ended in a 5-5 draw, amidst the annoyance of the Serbian audience, who began to defend between serves.
Novak Djokovic was not at his best but did enough to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open for the 15th time
A tiebreak was needed to separate the players in the third set and Djokovic gave some of his best, interacting with the crowd by pointing with his ear after big points as he went on to secure a place in the quarter-finals against Alcaraz. Who earlier beat Jack Draper after the British No. 1 retired due to injury after two sets.
Alcaraz and Djokovic have met seven times, with the Serbian winning the encounter 4-3. Djokovic also won his final match in the men's singles final at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Carlos Alcaraz hopes to repeat his victory over Djokovic in last year's Wimbledon final
The pair will face each other in Tuesday night's session at Rod Laver Arena to compete for a place in the semi-finals.
Alexander Zverev overcame a second-set stumble to defeat Frenchman Ugo Humbert 6-1, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open for the fourth time.
Zverev will face Tommy Paul in the quarter-finals after the American player defeated Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1, 6-1, 6-1.
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