Novak Djokovic Reacts to Crowd Behavior After Beating Rune
During Monday night's match at Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic faced off against 15th-seeded Holger Rune and emerged victorious with a score of 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, securing his place in the quarterfinals. However, the match was marked by tension between Djokovic and some of the Centre Court spectators.
Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, appeared perturbed by the crowd's reaction during the match. While some fans may have been chanting Rune's name, which sounds similar to booing, Djokovic interpreted the sounds as boos directed at him and expressed his displeasure post-match.
In his on-court interview, Djokovic addressed the crowd's behavior: "To all the fans that have respect and that stayed here tonight: Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart. 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 "Os" in “good” to mimic the sound of boos.
Despite an attempt by the interviewer to suggest the crowd was not taunting him, Djokovic was firm in his belief: "They were. They were. They were. I don't accept it. I know they were cheering for Rune. But that's an excuse to also boo," he said. "Listen, I've been on the tour for more than 20 years. So trust me, I know all the tricks. I know how it works. It's fine. It's fine. It's OK. 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 effort that the players put in here."
Following his win, Djokovic made a violin-playing gesture, possibly mocking those who were disappointed by his victory. This win marks his 15th appearance in the Wimbledon quarterfinals. Djokovic has won the Wimbledon championship seven times and was the runner-up last year to Carlos Alcaraz.
Reflecting on the experience, Djokovic stated, “I played in much more hostile environments, trust me. You guys can't touch me.”
