Novak Djokovic abruptly ended a BBC interview when he was persistently asked about the Wimbledon crowd after Monday’s dramatic meltdown.
Following his win over Holger Rune, Djokovic publicly slammed the spectators on Centre Court who had been slyly booing him, calling them out for ‘disrespect’.
‘I feel the same,’ Djokovic told the BBC in a new interview. ‘When I feel the crowd is stepping over the line, I react. I don’t regret my words or actions on the court.’
The BBC reporter then asked: ‘How do you feel your mindset is when there is disrespect from the crowd? Does it help you feel better?’
‘Do you have any other questions other than the crowd?’ An irked Djokovic responded. ‘Are you focused only on that? Any questions about the match or are we solely focused on that?’
The journalist tried to jump in and point out Djokovic’s ‘immediate reaction’ after the match on Monday but before he could finish, the Serbian interrupted him.
‘This is the third question already,’ Djokovic added. ‘I said what I have to say.’
The line of questioning quickly changed to Djokovic’s next match �� a quarter-final against Alex de Minaur – and the 37-year-old gave a very quick answer before walking out of the interview as he was asked about his opponent’s popularity.
Djokovic’s match against Rune flared up at the end of the second set as he glanced up to spectators and puts his lips together to copy their ‘Ruuuuuuuune’ chant and shush them.
In his on-court interview, Djokovic said: ‘To all the fans who have respect and stayed here tonight, thank you from the bottom of my heart, I appreciate it.
‘To all the people that have chosen to disrespect the player, in this case me, gooooooooood night.’
Master of ceremonies Rishi Persad told Djokovic: ‘I am hoping they were just commenting on Rune, and they were not disrespecting you.’
Djokovic added: ‘They were. 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.
‘Listen, I have been on the tour for more than 20 years. I know all the tricks. I focus on the respectful people that pay for the ticket, and love tennis and appreciate the players.
‘I played in much more hostile environments, trust me – you guys can’t touch me.’
Djokovic, who endured a frosty reception during the 2023 Wimbledon final, also shushed the crowd in his second-round win over Britain’s Jacob Fearnley this year.
The second seed, a seven-time Wimbledon winner, slammed the umpire for not kicking out a disruptive fan in the fourth set of the same match.
‘How is he not out?’ Djokovic angrily shouted at the umpire at a change of ends, referencing a troublesome spectator who appeared to be putting him off.
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