London. Perhaps the supporters at Centre Court were chanting the opponent’s name in salute to Novak Djokovic. Perhaps they were making fun of Djokovic in an attempt to frighten him. The 24-time Grand Slam champion was certain it was the latter, and he made it clear to all that he was not pleased with the outcome. In just over two hours on Monday night, Djokovic easily defeated 15th-seeded Holger Rune 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the Wimbledon quarterfinals. He then made sure to send a message to the supporters he believed were against him.
Djokovic criticizes Wimbledon fans for their “disrespect” following their victory. By ABC News at 7:19 PM on July 8, 2024 LONDON Perhaps the supporters at Centre Court were chanting the opponent’s name in salute to Novak Djokovic. Perhaps they were jeering Djokovic in an attempt to frighten him. The 24-time Grand Slam winner was certain it was the latter, and he made it clear to all that he was not pleased with the outcome. In less than two hours on Monday night, Djokovic easily defeated 15th-seeded Holger Rune 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the Wimbledon quarterfinals. He then made sure to send a message to the supporters he believed were against him. Supporters of Rune frequently stretch out his last name during competitions, exclaiming, “Ruuuuuune!” (which sounds a lot like “Boooooo!”), and this happened again on Monday.
I want to thank all of the respectful fans that came out tonight. You have my sincerest gratitude. Thank you so much for it. I hope everyone who has chosen to show contempt towards me, the player, has a great night. Wonderful evening. Wonderful evening. Extremely good night,” he uttered, extending his “Os” till they resembled the letter “boo.”
Rune — who got off to a terrible start in the match, dropping the first 12 points — didn’t make much of it all.
Djokovic was tried to stop believing that he was being teased by anyone by the interviewer.
“They did. They did. They did. I refuse to accept it. They were clapping for Rune, I knew that. Djokovic retorted, “But that’s just a reason to boo as well. “I’ve been on the tour for over 20 years, listen to me. Trust me, I’m an expert at all the tricks. I am aware of its operation. That’s alright. That’s alright. That’s alright. My attention is directed on the people who love tennis, are respectful, and have paid for a ticket to see the match tonight. and have a passion for tennis. And thank the players for their efforts and the time they invested in this.”
Djokovic was questioned about if he believed the All England Club ought to take action to stop boisterous fan conduct during his news conference afterwards.
To be honest, there’s not much Wimbledon can do to address this. I mean, the audience paid for their tickets at the specific times when it occurs. It is their right to be present and to applaud however they see fit. That’s all up to them – how they act or choose to assist the player is entirely up to them,” Djokovic said. “Yes, you could say that someone like a chair umpire may intervene at specific times to help them relax, but there’s really not much you can do about it. Because some people in the crowd are acting inappropriately or disrespectfully, you won’t remove them from the stadium or the entire crowd.
He stated, “It probably sounded like ‘boo,’ if you don’t know what was going on.” “But if we all know what happened, it was my name.” Since it has been a while since their last meeting, Rune said that he could understand how the fans’ chanting of his name could sound a lot like jeers directed at Djokovic. Despite this, he did not believe that it had “a massive part in the match.”
Simply put, he outperformed me today,” Rune remarked. “Whether the crowd was this or that, I think it was great support for both players, to be honest.” After the match, Djokovic made a violin-like motion, possibly implying he was mockingly expressing his sympathy for everyone in the arena he had made sad by winning and making it to the All England Club quarterfinals for the fifteenth time.
He finished runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz in the previous Wimbledon championship, which he has won seven times. Djokovic remarked, “Trust me, I played in a lot more difficult situations.” “You guys can’t touch me.”