NOVAK DJOKOVIC came perilously close to striking a ball girl with a vicious forehand during his Australian Open third round clash.
The Serbian, 38, was in action against Botic van de Zandschulp on Rad Laver Arena.
Djokovic cut a frustrated figure during the second set as physical issues began to take hold.
With the 10-time Australian Open champion leading 6-3 4-2, Van de Zandschulp managed to carve out a break point.
After the Dutchman squandered it by striking a backhand harmlessly long, Djokovic bizarrely thwacked a forehand into touch.
The fiercely-struck ball whistled just inches by a ball girl crouching in position off court.
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Fortunately the ball missed her and no one was hurt in the incident.
Had there been contact, Djokovic would very likely have been defaulted from the match.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion has been defaulted once before in his career.
Djokovic was chucked out of the US Open in 2020 after striking a line judge with the ball.
As it happened, umpire John Blom opted against even handing out a warning.
In attendance for TNT Sports, Tim Henman gasped: “Oh my goodness!”
After a quick apology from Djokovic, the match carried on.
The grumpy veteran needed a medical timeout due to an apparent ankle issue.
After warding off set point opportunities for Van de Zandschulp in the third, Djokovic took the match 6-3 6-4 7-6.
‘CALM DOWN YOU JERK’
Asked by Jim Courier after the match what advice he’d give his younger self, Djokovic said: “Calm down, you jerk.
“I’m too stressed on the court very often. Too much tension at times. I would say patience is a big one.
“When we are younger, regardless of the area of life we are involved in, I think we want everything here and now, today.
“Just having a bit of patience and trust in the process – and surrounding yourself with the right people, I think that’s a big one.
“That’s one of the biggest keys I think early on in the career of the young tennis player … you have to build your character so you understand what kind of people you want around yourself.
“People who can connect with you on a private level … There has to be a good chemistry, there has to be a good atmosphere, from which you can extract good vibes and good energy that can serve you for your great performance.”
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