Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic is the second-highest Grand Slam winner of all time. After clinching the Wimbledon Championships title earlier this year, he is just one title behind Rafael Nadal. While the Serb has strong chances to go past his Spanish rival, his decisions have made it tougher for him. The 21-time Grand Slam could not participate in the Australian Open and the US Open due to his stance on vaccination.

As it always happens, the decision created heated debates among several fans and pundits both in Australia and the US. However, this was not the first time Djokovic led to a difference in opinion between fans. Back in the 2009 Australian Open, there was a scuffle between two groups of fans following Djokovic’s match. Here’s what happened.

Violence erupted between fan groups after Djokovic’s victory

After winning the Australian Open in 2008, Djokovic was back down under to defend his title the following year. The Serb started well and won the first two matches without dropping a set. However, in his third-round match against Bosnian-born American tennis star Amer Delic, he faced a stern test. After winning the first set easily, Djokovic lost the second set to the American.

Djokovic recovered quickly to take the next set. However, it was a tough battle for the defending champion to win the final set. Amidst the intense match, violence broke out between Serbian and Bosnian fans. Later, two fans were arrested while 30 more were ejected from the Rod Laver Arena.

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Both Djokovic and Delic condemned the incident as they played the game fairly and in a friendly spirit. “There’s absolutely no place for that here. This is a tennis match. Novak and I are friends. We’re both competitors, obviously. In the end, it was a fair match, and there was no reason for such things,” Delic said after the match.

Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open

Novak Djokovic is the most successful player in the Australian Open. The Serb has a record nine singles titles to his name. Djokovic played the Australian Open for the first time in the year 2005, where he suffered a first-round defeat. The Serb had a similar result next year as well. However, he made it to the fourth round on his third attempt in 2007.

Djokovic claimed his first Australian Open title in 2008. He had a quarterfinal run in his next two attempts. The Serb was back to the winning ways and clinched the title for the next three consecutive years. Further, he missed out in 2014 but won the title back-to-back in 2015 and 2016.

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2017 and 2018 were tough years for the Serb, as he could not make it to the latter stages of the tournament. However, he returned strongly in 2019 and claimed three back-to-back titles. This year, his chances of winning a fourth consecutive title was quashed after he was deported from the country due to his vaccination status.