Australian Open: Novak Djokovic beats Jiri Lehecka to set up quarter-final with Carlos Alcaraz in men's singles

Novak Djokovic beat Jiri Lehecka 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-4) to set up a blockbuster quarter-final with Carlos Alcaraz but boycotted his post-match on court interview after a TV reporter mocked Serbian fans.

Djokovic, who is looking to break Margaret Court's all-time singles record for men and women of 24 Grand Slams, thanked the crowd for coming out to support him but did not conduct the usual formal interview with Jim Courier.

The Serbian revealed his protest was in reaction to Australian Channel 9 anchor Tony Jones mocking Djokovic's fans recently on-air.

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"Thank you very much for your support and I'll see you in the next round," said Djokovic, before he signed some autographs and walked off the court.

Jones' comments came on Friday when he had a sea of Serbian fans behind him when presenting. As the Djokovic fans chanted, Jones mocked them by saying into his microphone: "Novak is overrated. Novak is a has-been. Novak - kick him out. I'm glad they can't hear me."

Later in the press conference, Djokovic clarified the situation from his perspective.

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"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," he said.

"And since then, he chose not to issue any public apology. Neither did Channel 9. So since they're official broadcasters, I chose not to give interviews for Channel 9.

"I have nothing against Jim Courier or the Australian public. It was a very awkward situation for me to face on the court today. It's unfortunate I chose to say something to the crowd, but obviously wasn't the time and space or situation for me to explain what I'm doing right now.

"I leave it to Channel 9 to handle this the way they think, they see fit. That's all."

Djokovic was seen speaking to tournament director Craig Tiley after the match to reiterate his stance.

"I haven't seen him since that happened, he was communicating with my agent and my team," Djokovic added.

"I have really nice relationship with Craig, I think he's a phenomenal guy who always tries to help players and understand our needs needs or demands, so I just wanted to make sure that he knows where I stand and the reasons behind it.

"I told him if you guys want to fine me for not giving an on-court interview, that's okay, I'll accept that because I feel like this is something that needs to be done. That's all there is to it."

How Djokovic beat Lehecka

It was a cagey start to the match as the opening six games were shared before Djokovic ramped up the speed of his hitting and moved 5-3 up, before serving out the set.

Djokovic broke immediately at the start of the second and held that advantage throughout as Lehecka made several unforced errors.

Things changed in the third though when Lehecka punched back, having been broken again early in the third, to break back himself and found his rhythm.

Djokovic was unable to convert his break point chances, so the set ended up at 5-5, with the Serbian rattled by spectators who began to call out in between serves.

A tie-break was required to separate the players in the third and Djokovic produced some of his best tennis, interacting with the crowd by gesturing to his ear after big points as he went on to seal a place in the quarter-finals against Alcaraz, who earlier saw off Jack Draper after the British No 1 retired due to injury after two sets.

Alexander Zverev overcame a second-set blip to beat Frenchman Ugo Humbert 6-1 2-6 6-3 6-2 to reach his fourth Australian Open quarter-final.

Zverev will face Tommy Paul in the last eight after the American defeated thrashed Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1 6-1 6-1.

Djokovic: Alcaraz matches remind me of Nadal

Alcaraz and Djokovic have met seven times, with the Serbian leading the head-to-head 4-3. Djokovic also won their last match, in the Paris 2024 Olympics men's singles final.

The pair will face each other in Tuesday's night session on Rod Laver to battle for a semi-final spot.

"I'm expecting a big battle, as is the case in most of our matches when we've faced each other," Djokovic added.

"There's just been a couple of times when it was quite one-sided. During the Wimbledon finals last year, he was the dominant force on the court or when I had a really good match against him in the World Tour Finals in 2023.

"It reminds me of my match-ups versus [Rafael] Nadal in terms of the intensity and the energy on the court.

"He's a very dynamic, explosive player. Incredibly talented and charismatic. He's great to watch but not that great to play against.

"I think we're both hitting the ball pretty well this tournament. I like the way I'm playing and the way I've been feeling the last couple of matches, I'm excited about that challenge."

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