Novak Djokovic expressed his frustration with a portion of the Wimbledon crowd on Centre Court, accusing them of disrespect during his match against Holger Rune. Djokovic, aiming for his 25th Grand Slam title, defeated the world No. 15 with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory on Monday, securing his place in his 60th major quarter-final and 15th at Wimbledon.
Throughout the match, some spectators repeatedly chanted “Rune,” which Djokovic interpreted as booing. Following his win, he addressed the crowd’s behavior in a post-match interview, thanking the respectful fans but condemning those he felt were disrespectful.
“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,” Djokovic said in a pointed on-court speech. “And to all those people that have chosen to disrespect the player — in this case me — have a goooooooood night,” he added, mocking the crowd’s chants of “Ruuuuune.”
The interviewer tried to explain to Djokovic that the crowd was supporting Rune, not booing him, but the world No. 2 was adamant in his belief. “They were (booing). They were. I am not accepting it. No, no, no. I know they were cheering for Rune but that’s an excuse to also boo,” he insisted. “Listen, I have been on the tour for more than 20 years. I know all the tricks, I know how it works. I focus on the respectful people that pay for the ticket, and love tennis and appreciate the players. I have played in much more hostile environments, trust me — you guys can’t touch me.”
The controversy started during the second set when the crowd’s chants of “Ruuuune” coincided with the Dane saving set points. Tennis legend John McEnroe, commenting for the BBC, noted that Djokovic misinterpreted the chants. “They’re not booing, they’re saying Rune,” McEnroe explained. “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.” Nick Kyrgios added: “One thing you don’t want to do though is poke the bear.”
Rune, speaking to the media after his round of 16 loss, recalled that fans had chanted his name in a similar manner during their previous matches, which might have sounded like booing. “It sounded a little bit like ‘boo’. We played each other many more times, but more in Italy and France, where they don’t pronounce my name the same way,” he explained. “Now we’re in England. If you don’t know what was happening, probably it sounded like ‘boo’. If he didn’t remember, it could probably sound different for him.”
Djokovic will now face Australian ninth seed Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinals as he continues his quest for another Grand Slam title.
