Novak Djokovic hits back at Australian Open hecklers after 'kiss my a**' response

Novak Djokovic has praised Danielle Collins for her controversial response to hecklers at the .

with the rowdy crowd at Melbourne Park during her 7-6 4-6 6-2 victory over qualifier Destanee Aiava. The American was on the receiving end of some abuse from the stands, with support firmly behind her Australian opponent.

She did not back down, openly telling the crowd to "shut up", cupping her hands to her ears and blowing kisses. After winning she gestured to the crowd to kiss her behind and said in her post-match press conference: “Every person that's bought a ticket to come out here and heckle me or do what they do, it's all going towards the Danielle Collins Fund.”

Her behaviour proved divisive on social media, but 10-time Australian Open champion was clear in his response after brushing aside Tomas Machac in straight sets. “I loved her response. I loved it, everything she said on the court, off the court,” Djokovic said.

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“Big fan of Danielle Collins after that. I was before, but now, big fan. I love it. I heard some comments of people that she shouldn't have said that or that. I think she handled it really well. I don't think I would be that polite, and I know exactly the feeling. So I think she was funny, smart, and just big fan of what she did. Big fan.”

Djokovic had some hecklers of his own during the straightforward win over Machac on Friday. He called on the umpire to step in after being irritated by the crowd, who had a lot to say while he was trying to serve.

"Yeah, few people here and there,” Djokovic said when asked about the crowd. “Yeah. I understand you have few drinks more, and then you get into it. But, you know, on the court it's frustrating, and it comes in a bad moment.

"If it's repetitive, it happens for an hour, somebody tells you in the corner things that you don't want to hear and constant provoking, then of course it comes to the point where you just respond. So I tried to tolerate, but then at one point I had to respond, and that's all. That's all to say about it."

The crowd in Melbourne are renowned for their rowdy nature, with vocal support given to the home players. The fact that some matches stretch into the early hours of the morning also contributes to the unique atmosphere Down Under.

Jack Draper has experienced it a lot, having come through successive five-set matches against Australian players Thanasi Kokkinakis and Aleksandar Vukic. “It was amazing,” he said after the Kokkinakis win. “Obviously an electric atmosphere.

“I was getting quite a lot of abuse from the crowd in between serves and at the back of the court, all that stuff. Sometimes you don’t want to rile them or give it back. But to be fair, it gave me energy doing that.”