Novak Djokovic produced another impressive performance at Wimbledon on Monday to cruise into the quarterfinals, but the 24-time grand slam champion was far from happy after his win.
Novak Djokovic advanced to the Wimbledon quarterfinals with another dominant performance on Monday, defeating Holger Rune 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in just over two hours on Centre Court. Despite his victory, the 24-time grand slam champion expressed dissatisfaction with portions of the crowd who appeared to favor his Danish opponent. Djokovic, visibly perturbed, addressed the situation in his post-match interview, thanking those fans who showed respect and remained supportive throughout the match.
“And to all those individuals who have decided to show disrespect towards a player – in this instance, myself – enjoy your evening.”
When the interviewer suggested that the fans were simply chanting for Rune rather than booing, Djokovic reaffirmed his position.
“I don’t accept that. No. I understand they were cheering for Rune, but it’s also a pretext for booing.
“Listen, I’ve been on the tour for over 20 years, so believe me, I’m familiar with all the tactics. I know how it goes. It’s okay, I’m fine with it. I focus on the respectful people who paid for their tickets to come and watch tonight, who love tennis, and who appreciate the effort that players put in here.
“I’ve competed in much more challenging environments, believe me. You guys can’t get to me.”
This isn’t the first instance where Djokovic has been upset with the crowd after facing Rune.
During the 2021 US Open, a similar situation unfolded when Djokovic was perplexed by what he believed to be booing from the spectators.
Following his loss on Monday, Rune mentioned that he appreciated hearing the crowd chant his name and clarified that Djokovic had misunderstood the situation again.
“If you weren’t aware, it probably sounded like ‘boo,’ but they were actually chanting my name,” Rune explained.
But [Djokovic] has played so many matches since it happened last time, he probably didn’t remember.”
Despite his discontent with parts of the crowd on Monday, Djokovic maintained his composure and comfortably defeated an underperforming Rune.
At times, Djokovic appeared to be affected by a stomach problem but was able to overcome it and advance to his 15th Wimbledon quarterfinal.
Despite having surgery for a torn meniscus just last month, the 37-year-old appears to be in excellent condition as he aims for his seventh Wimbledon championship.
He is set to face Australia’s Alex de Minaur on Wednesday in a bid to reach the semifinals.
“Alex [de Minaur] is one of the fastest, if not the fastest, players on the Tour. But I still enjoy moving on court at 37. I’m looking forward to the match,” Djokovic commented.