Novak Djokovic grand slammed fans after advancing to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon on July 8.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion, who is the No. 2 seed in this year’s tournament, had some harsh words for the crowd after he defeated 15th-seeded Holger Rune, 6-3, 6-4, and 6-2, July 8 to move on to the quarterfinals.
“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, emphasizing the “ooo” sound in “good” so it sounded like “boo.”
The interviewer said he was hoping fans were merely having fun with the name “Rune” instead of booing Djokovic, but the seven-time Wimbledon champ was having none of it.
“They were. They were. They were. I don’t accept it. No, no, no. I know they were cheering for Rune, but that’s an excuse to also boo,” Djokovic 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 come and watch tonight and love tennis. And love tennis. And appreciate the players and the effort that the players put in here,” he continued as the crowd roared.
“I’ve played in much more hostile environments, trust me. You guys can’t touch me.”
When speaking with reporters after the match, Djokovic, who dedicated his victory to daughter Tara, 6, was asked if Wimbledon needs to do something to curb excessive fan behavior.
“I don’t know what Wimbledon can really do about it. Those particular moments when it happens, the crowd paid their tickets. They have the right to be there and cheer the way they want to cheer. So, that’s absolutely something that they choose. How they choose to behave or how they choose to support the player is really up to them,” Djokovic said.
“Yes, you could argue that maybe a chair umpire, or whoever, can step in in certain moments and calm them down, but there’s not much you can do. You’re not going to take out the whole section of the crowd or stadium out because they’re misbehaving or showing disrespect. It’s just the way it is. It’s part of the sport.”
Djokovic will next play July 10 when he faces ninth-seeded Alex de Minaur of Australia, with the winner moving on to the semifinals.