Officials were forced to act quickly during Novak Djokovic’s Miami Open semi-final match against Grigor Dimitrov as a “heckler” was removed from the stands after just three games. Dimitrov became aggravated at 1-1 in the first set and the chair umpire rushed down onto the court, requesting for a spectator in the front row to be removed in the changeover.
Commentators confirmed the individual had been kicked out of the stadium and questioned whether a second individual also needed to be removed. It’s not the first time a fan has hecked a player this week, as Iga Swiatek was reportedly given extra security when a spectator harrassed her during a practice session.
A runner-up at last year’s Miami Open, Dimitrov was seeking a spot in the final for the second year running. But he had a tough task on his hands, facing Djokovic in the semis – a man he has only beaten once in 13 meetings.
It was a windy day in Miami and the conditions were clearly causing trouble in the first two games as the players broke each other. As Djokovic stepped up to serve at 1-1, Dimitrov suddenly became irritated by something happening courtside.
Chair umpire Greg Allensworth realised someone was causing trouble and raced over, radioing ATP Tour supervisor Gerry Armstrong. “Gerry, Gerry, I need someone removed from the stands now,” he said on the walkie-talkie.
“Okay, so there’s a heckler here that needs to be removed. Clearly something has riled Dimitrov,” Sky Sports commentator Jonathan Overend remarked.
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