Beware the fans, Novak Djokovic

World number one hurt by over enthusiastic fans

A group of young tennis enthusiasts injured Novak Djokovic as he was signing autographs at the Hopman Cup in Perth (Getty Images)

Sports stars and sports fans. Most of the time the relationship works just fine – the former entertain and amaze and the latter stay in their seats and applaud politely.

From time to time, however, things get a little too close for comfort, as poor Novak Djokovic learned this week. A group of rather-too-excited young tennis enthusiasts injured their hero as he was signing autographs at the Hopman Cup in Perth, by knocking down a hefty barrier that cracked into the Serb star’s leg.

Thankfully, Djokovic was OK, but he learned a salutary lesson – beware the fans. They can be volatile (as QPR discovered when the squad clashed with its own supporters after a defeat last March), they can get in the way (Bradley Wiggins at the Olympics) and sometimes, wilfully or not, they may hurt you.