Novak Djokovic called out the “disrespectful” Wimbledon crowd and refused to accept the excuse that they were cheering for his opponent, Holger Rune.
The world No. 2 was bothered by booing sounds but commentators claimed that fans were saying “Rune”.
After winning in straight sets, Djokovic lambasted the spectators in an awkward on-court interview and said he knew their tricks.
Djokovic immediately took aim at the fans on Wimbledon’s main show court when the interviewer touched on the support his opponent received. ” Well, 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, I appreciate it,” he started.
The seven-time champion at SW19 then turned his attention to those who had apparently been shouting “Ruuuune” and elongating the ‘ooh’ sound as if they were booing. Copying their tactic, he added: “And to all those people that have chosen to disrespect the player, in this case me, have a goooood night.
When it was pointed out again that the spectators were saying Rune’s name, an adamant Djokovic insisted that it was a trick to rile him up. “They were, they were, they were. I don’t accept it. No, no, no,” he continued.
I know they were cheering for Rune but that’s an excuse also to boo. Listen, I’ve been on the tour for more than 20 years so I know all the tricks, I know how it works. It’s fine, it’s okay.
“There’s some respectful people who paid for a ticket to come and watch tonight and they love tennis and appreciate the players.”
And Djokovic sent a strong message to those he thought were booing him. “I’ve played in much more hostile environments, trust me. You guys can’t touch me,” he warned.
Djokovic first noticed the “Ruuuune” cheers in the second set when the Dane saved set points on his serve and held out his arms in frustration. “They’re not booing, they’re saying Rune,” John McEnroe said on BBC commentary. “Djokovic is confused by that. He thinks he’s being booed which he absolutely isn’t. The crowd are just trying to keep the young guy in it.”
And Nick Kyrgios added: “One thing you don’t want to do though is poke the bear.” The Aussie was right, as it riled Djokovic up and he came through 6-3 6-4 6-2.
