With a display of his sheer brilliance, Novak Djokovic has brushed aside some of the players of high caliber to secure a place in the fourth round of the Australian Open. However, aside from his stellar performances, a controversial incident involving the Serb caught the attention of many in the tennis community, including his compatriot and the WTA veteran, Ana Ivanović.

During his third-round victory against Alexei Popyrin, the current world No. 1 player had to confront an Australian Open spectator who ‘heckled’ him. Reacting to Djokovic’s heckling incident, the 2008 French Open champion Ivanović brought to light a ‘breakthrough’ childhood moment involving her and her compatriot.

Ana Ivanović talks about Novak Djokovic’s heckling incident at the Australian Open

The former Serbian tennis player was recently asked if she also saw Djokovic’s fiery exchange with an Australian Open heckler, as the ATP player was heard furiously shouting, “Come say it to my face”. In an exclusive conversation with EssentiallySports, Ana Ivanović said, “I think the next day, but I haven’t watched like… You know sometimes, I must say this if I go back when we started to play like, Jelena, Novak and myself in 2006-07 when we were making a big breakthrough coming from Serbia.”

As she talked about the ‘big breakthrough’ moment, the WTA veteran also opened up about how it can sometimes be ‘annoying’ for players when spectators try to heckle them during their match. Ivanović stated, “We had amazing support and sometimes the fans would be loud during the points because they were so excited. Finally, they had someone from Serbia, they probably be living wherever we played. And sometimes they make comments even during the point which the opponent finds it very annoying.”

The Serbian former world No. 1 tennis player added, “I understand, you know, even being, let’s say, on the good side. It can be sometimes frustrating when you’re playing a match and someone is toying with their comments. Sometimes maybe Novak uses it as his energy and sometimes it helps him get a little bit more upset to get a little bit more pumped up. So that he even plays better after that, I think.”

What do you think of the WTA veteran’s views on Djokovic’s heckling incident at the Australian Open? Let us know in the comments section.