Tennis enthusiasts were left feeling disheartened and displeased by Novak Djokovic’s reaction to the booing audience after his victory over Holger Rune in the fourth round of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. The Serbian player considered the spectators’ booing to be ‘disrespectful’.
Ranked as the second seed in the grasscourt Major, Djokovic triumphed over 15th seed Holger Rune with a score of 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in a little over two hours on Centre Court in the fourth round. This victory secured his place in the quarterfinals, where he will compete against Alex de Minaur.
In his match against the Dane, the 24-time Grand Slam champion encountered some backlash from the crowd and was booed. During the post-match on-court interview, the Serbian player expressed gratitude to the ‘respectful’ fans for their support and sarcastically wished “good night” to those who chose to boo him.
“To all the fans that have had respect and stayed here tonight, I thank you from the bottom of my heart and I appreciate it. And to all those people that have chosen to disrespect the player – in this case, me – have a goooood night. A very good night,” he said.
Novak Djokovic also voiced his disapproval of the crowd’s unruly behavior. He mentioned that, having been on the tour for over two decades, he is familiar with all the tactics spectators use to unsettle and distract him.
He also noted that he has competed in much more “hostile environments” than Wimbledon, so the booing did not impact him or his performance
“I don’t accept it. No, no, no. I know they were cheering for [Holger] Rune but that’s an excuse to also boo. Listen, I have been on the tour for more than 20 years. So trust me, I know all the tricks, I know how it works,” he continued. “I played in much more hostile environments, trust me – you guys can’t touch me.”
One of the moments of the Championships so far.
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) July 8, 2024
And wasn’t on court. pic.twitter.com/PTE3xjd7kT
He's such a drama Queen, its embarassing
— Callie (@CalliePhakathi) July 8, 2024
Tennis fans, however, were not pleased with Novak Djokovic calling out the booing crowd. They took to social media to share their opinions on the same.
One fan criticized the seven-time Wimbledon champion’s behavior, calling him a “drama queen” and “embarrassing.”
“He’s such a drama Queen, its embarassing,” a fan posted.
“This is genuinely so embarrassing on his part,” a fan said
Several fans stated that this was the Serb’s “typical” behavior which should surprise no one.
“Watching a 37 year old man utterly embarrass himself in front of thousands. Sad to see but typical of this guy,” a fan said
“Typical Novak move. That‘s why he isn‘t that popular!” a tennis fan said
“I can totally see him after tennis becoming a politician, I mean dictator. The folks who don’t support him will be taken out at once & shot,” a fan replied.
Some fans suggested that Novak Djokovic’s desire to be as beloved as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal leads him to make decisions that further alienate him from the audience.
“Lmao he just invented a fake narrative just to boost his ego. This is why the insecure dolt will never touch fedal’s admiration,” .
ANOTHER Tennis Fan
“Djokovic’s big problem is that he wants to be liked, but doesn’t understand why he isn’t. He mistakenly believes people liked Federer and Nadal because they won all the time, so when he wins even more than them and isn’t liked as much, he gets confused and angry,” a fan posted.
Novak Djokovic will face Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon 2024
Novak Djokovic will go up against ninth seed Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships.
Djokovic started his campaign at SW19 by defeating Vit Kopriva in the first round and Jacob Fearnley in the second. He then triumphed over Alexei Popyrin in the third round and Holger Rune in the fourth, securing his place in the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, Alex de Minaur advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating James Duckworth, Jaume Munar, Lucas Pouille, and Arthur Fils in the first four rounds.
Novak Djokovic and Alex de Minaur have met three times on the ATP Tour, with the former World No. 1 emerging victorious in two of those three encounters.
What do you think who will win and reach into the semi Finals for Wimbledon 2024