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Novak Djokovic sent a message to his younger self after recording his 400th career win at Grand Slam level. The No. 4 seed lost to Botic van de Zandschulp in Indian Wells but got his revenge with a 6-3 6-4 7-6(4) win at the Australian Open. The Serbian superstar looked to be cruising when he led by two sets, but Van de Zandschulp raised his level and broke early in the third, also holding two set points on Djokovic's serve before the No. 4 seed forced a tiebreak.

The 38-year-old also hit a ball away in frustration during the match, which narrowly missed a ball kid. And boos rang out as he confronted the umpire in the third set. But Djokovic thrives in a tough environment, and he touched his finger to his ear after getting the win, jeering the crowd on.

Djokovic appeared tense in the tight third set, and admitted to getting stressed on the court. But according to himself, he used to be much worse. During his on-court interview, the 38-year-old was asked what he would tell his younger self, and he had a hilarious response. "Calm down, you jerk!" he laughed.

"It's true, it's true. I'm too stressed on the court, very often, and too much tension at times and I think I would say that patience is a big one. When we are younger, regardless of the area of life that we are involved in, I think we want everything here and now, today.

"I think just having a little bit of patience and trust in the process, surrounding yourself with the right people bc we are an individual sport so that's one of the biggest keys early on in career of young tennis player, you've got to not only trust and blindly follow what is said to you, but build your character."

The 10-time former champion in Melbourne went on to explain how important it was to have a strong personal connection with coaches and the full team, and then cut himself off. "I've been talking too much, sorry," Djokovic told interviewer Jim Courier and the Rod Laver Arena crowd.

The 38-year-old has been full of advice lately, helping teenage sensation Iva Jovic. The American earned a maiden top-10 win on Friday, beating Jasmine Paolini to reach the second week of a Major for the first time in her career. The 18-year-old later revealed that Djokovic had been giving her guidance.

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Jovic later opened up on their private chats and said the advice he gave her "was just to open up the court a little bit better, to not rush into the shots all the time, find some more width." And Djokovic had been surprised to learn that the No. 29 seed shared their secrets.

"That's fine, it's up to her if she wants to share. I really like her, she's a really great girl and from a nice family. Obviously, I feel more emotionally connected to her because of her Serbian background, so I try even more. She definitely has all the tools to be a future champion, future No. 1, so that's exactly what I wish for her," he smiled.

However, Djokovic wants to throw a spanner in the works for the young stars of the men's game, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. The fourth seed joked: "I'm still trying to give these young guys a push for their money.

"I'm still around, I'm hanging in there. Obviousl,y Alcaraz and Sinner are the two best players in the world, they are playing on a different level from all of us. But when you enter the court and the ball rolls, you always have a chance, particularly here. Definitely the court that has given me the most in my career, so I look forward to the next battle."