WIMBLEDON, Britain – Perhaps the spectators at Middle Court were showing respect to Novak Djokovic’s opponent by chanting his name. Or perhaps they were booing Novak Djokovic in an attempt to unsettle him. The 20-time Grand Slam champion was certain it was the latter, and he made it known that it bothered him.
Novak Djokovic smoothly defeated fifteenth-seeded Holger Rune with a score of 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in a little over two hours on Monday night to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals. He then took the opportunity to address the fans he believed were against him. Rune’s supporters at other tournaments often elongate his last name, saying “Ruuuuuune!” which sounds similar to “Boooooo!” and this happened again on Monday.
During his post-match interview on the court, Djokovic briefly discussed the match before veering into a discussion about the people in the stands.
“To all the fans that have respect and stayed here this evening: Thank you very much. I appreciate it. And to all those people that have chosen to disrespect the player – in this case, me – have a goooood night. Gooooood night. Gooooood night. Very gooooood night,” he said, elongating the O’s in “good” so they sounded like “boo.” The interviewer tried to stop Novak Djokovic from thinking anyone was trying to insult him.
“They were. They were. They were. I don’t accept it. I know they were rooting for Rune. But that’s a reason to also boo,” Djokovic said. “Listen, I’ve been on the tour for over 20 years. So, trust me, I know all the tricks. I know how it works. It’s fine. It’s fine. It’s okay. I focus on the respectful people, that have respect, that paid [for] a ticket to watch tonight – and love tennis. And love tennis. And appreciate the players and the work that the players put in here.”
At his press conference later, Djokovic was asked if he thinks the All England Club should intervene to control rowdy fan behavior.
“See, I don’t know what Wimbledon can truly do about it. All in all, in those specific minutes when it works out, the group paid for their tickets. They reserve the option to be there and cheer the manner in which they need to cheer. That is totally something they pick; how they act or how they decide to help the player is truly dependent upon them,” Djokovic answered. “Indeed, you could contend maybe a seat umpire or whoever can step in specific minutes and quiet them down, however, there’s very little you can do. You won’t take out the entire segment of the group or arena since they’re getting into mischief or showing affront.”
Rune, who started on a negative note in the match, dropping the initial 12 focuses, didn’t make a big deal about everything.
“In the event that you don’t have the foggiest idea what was occurring, presumably it seemed like ‘boo,'” he said. “Be that as it may, in the event that we as a whole realize what occurred, it was my name.”
Rune added he could perceive how fans’ serenades of his name could sound a ton like booing to Djokovic given how long it’s been since exactly the same thing occurred at their last gathering, saying he didn’t think it played “an enormous part in the match.”
“He was simply better compared to me today,” Rune said. “Whether the group was either, I think it was extraordinary help for the two players, frankly.”
At the point when the match finished, Novak Djokovic motioned as though he were playing a violin, perhaps jokingly demonstrating he felt terrible for anyone in the field whom he had disheartened by winning and getting to the quarterfinals at the All England Club for the fifteenth time.
He has brought home the title at Wimbledon multiple times, and he was the sprinter-up to Carlos Alcaraz last year.
“I played in significantly more antagonistic conditions, trust me,” Novak Djokovic said. “You folks can’t touch me.”
