Novak Djokovic fiercely pleads with Australian Open umpire to remove heckler: ‘Drunk out of his mind'

Novak Djokovic furiously pleaded with a chair umpire to remove a heckler during his second-round match at the Australian Open on Thursday, after claiming the man was "drunk out of his mind."

The explosive moment came during the fourth set of his match against France’s Enzo Couacaud following repeated disruptions by a spectator, who was among a group dressed as the famous children’s book character "Where’s Waldo?"

In the third set, a fan jumped to Djokovic’s defense, yelling "shut up!" at the heckler after he shouted during the serve. 

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But the 21-time Grand Slam champion had enough by the fourth set. 

"Can you get this guy out?" Djokovic asked as he approached chair umpire Fergus Murphy.

"The entire night, the entire night… and what are you going to do about it? Please answer."

"You’re kidding me," Djokovic laughed in disbelief as Murphy appeared to shake his head.

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"You know who it is," Djokovic said, pointing to the crowd, seemingly in the direction of the heckler. "The guy is drunk out of his mind. From the first point he’s been provoking [me]. Provoking – he’s not here to watch tennis. He just wants to get in my head. So I’m asking you, what are you going to do about it? You heard it at least 10 times. I heard him 50 times. What are you going to do about it?"

Djokovic continued to plead his case, asking the official to get security to remove the fan but seemingly walked away in defeat. 

But the fan, along with the other "Waldos," were finally approached by security and removed. 

Djokovic would win the match 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-0, but continues to battle through what he revealed was a significant hamstring injury. 

"I am worried. I mean, I cannot say that I’m not. I have reason to be worried," he said after the match. "There’s two choices: Leave it or keep going. So I’m going to keep going."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
 

Jets’ Elijah Moore told Mike LaFleur ‘go f--- yourself’ in heated exchange before requesting trade: report

Despite looking like playoff contenders at one point, the New York Jets’ 2022 season was ultimately defined by a struggling offense and a frustrated quarterback who couldn’t seem to make things click, even with the unwavering support of his head coach. 

But behind closed doors, the situation was more complex than what fans saw on the field and in the media.

The Jets announced a number of coaching staff changes at the end of the season that were headlined by the exit of offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, who had just completed his second season in New York. 

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"Over the course of the few days we've gotten a lot of inquiries about his availability from some teams and just talking with Mike, felt like it would be in everyone's best interest for him to pursue those opportunities," coach Robert Saleh said at a press conference last week.

"I always try to do right by people. He had options and there was a lot of discussion over the last three days. You guys know I love Mike, I love his family. There was some [opportunities] that he wanted to pursue and we've just given him the ability to do that."

While LaFleur had the full support of Saleh – they'd worked together with the San Francisco 49ers – some players took issue with their offensive coordinator’s process. 

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According to The Athletic, some players thought LaFleur’s system was "needlessly complicated," including quarterback Zach Wilson. LaFleur reportedly adjusted his scheme to match Wilson’s capabilities after a poor rookie season.

But despite watering it down, Wilson still struggled and became publicly frustrated. Naturally, so did the offense. 

According to the report, second-year wideout Elijah Moore got into a heated exchange with LaFleur after not being targeted during the Jets’ Week 6 matchup against the Green Bay Packers, which ultimately resulted in him requesting a trade from the team. 

"Go f--- yourself" and "you suck," were among the things Moore reportedly shouted at LaFleur during a practice that followed. He was sent home and shortly after requested a trade. 

The issue resolved itself and in Week 12 against the Chicago Bears, Moore scored his first touchdown of the season off a 22-yard pass from Mike White – Wilson’s backup that seemingly stole the show and the support of his teammates. 

"I’m just grateful I get to stand up here today and be the person that I know I am and contribute to a winning game. I’m really just blessed," he said after the game. 

The Jets will look to change up their offense first with a new offensive coordinator. Nathaniel Hackett, who was fired by the Denver Broncos this season after just 15 games, reportedly interviewed with the Jets on Wednesday. 

They will also have to fill the positions of offensive line coach John Benton and wide receivers coach Miles Austin after their respective firings.

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