Novak Djokovic’s third-round match at the Australian Open turned into a night full of drama. While the Serbian legend etched history at the Rod Laver Arena with his 400th Grand Slam victory, tension and noise dominated the match.

On paper, Djokovic notched a straightforward straight-sets victory over the Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp. But the reality was more volatile, as he was booed by sections of the crowd, causing him to lose focus in between points.

Although chair umpire John Blom politely stepped in to caution the crowd against making noise, his verbal intervention did little to impress Djokovic, who believed that Blom should have been more severe in his warning:

“(It’s been) two-and-a-half hours; you can’t be polite. You have to take a stand,” argued Djokovic in a heated exchange with Blom. The flashpoint came late in the third set with Djokovic serving to stay in the set at 5-6.

For context, Blom stated, “Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Please, I need to say this politely; please, any noise during the rally is detracting. Please, any noise during the first and second serve is distracting. Any noise between the point is distracting. Any noise between the first and second serve is distracting. Please try to be quiet between these times.”

Despite the warning, the crowd didn’t take well to Djokovic’s spat with the umpire and proceeded to boo the Serb throughout the third set, prompting Djokovic to shush the crowd on multiple occasions.

Distractions notwithstanding, Djokovic refocused as he tied up the third set and took the tiebreaker to seal a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) win.

But as he walked over for the post-match handshake, he was regaled with more boos, to which he pointed to his ear and motioned to keep them coming. Despite his 10 Australian Open titles, Djokovic has never fully endeared himself to the Australian crowd, often being booed and derided during matches.

Still, Djokovic, long used to being the antagonist in Australia, sealed that 400th win and also equaled Roger Federer’s record of winning 102 Australian Open matches.

But unruly crowd aside, there was another incident that could have derailed the match completely. In fact, Djokovic managed to save himself from disqualification at the Australian Open, as he almost hit a ball kid with his powerful shot.

Novak Djokovic survives disqualification drama after ball flies past a ball kid

Novak Djokovic was leading the second set 4-2 when he missed a shot, resulting in deuce. Out of frustration, the Serb whacked the ball out of the court in frustration. But as the ball whizzed past, it only just missed a nearby ball girl who ducked out of the way at the net post.

Tim Henman, who was at the broadcast booth representing TNT Sports, immediately reacted with an “Oh my goodness.”

Saved by the ball girl’s reflexes, Djokovic’s tournament could have come to an abrupt end like at the 2020 US Open when he was disqualified for hitting a line judge in the neck by accident with a ball.

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Had the shot clipped the ball girl, tournament referee Wayne McKewen could easily have followed suit, citing ball abuse: “The referee in consultation with the Grand Slam supervisor may declare a default for either a single violation of this code or pursuant to the point penalty schedule,” reads the Grand Slam rulebook.

As for Djokovic, he was quick to apologize. “I apologize for that. That was not necessary and in the heat of the moment. I was lucky there, and I’m sorry for causing any distress to the ball kid or anybody,” he said.

However, Djokovic fortunately managed to avoid any further action from officials as he went on to regain his composure.