Novak Djokovic accused Wimbledon spectators of disrespect after reaching a 15th quarter-final at the All England Club. Despite easing through with a straight-sets victory over Holger Rune, the 24-times grand-slam champion was left furious after claiming that fans of his opponent had booed him throughout the match.
This was not much of a contest on the court, but the feisty edge between Djokovic and sections of the Centre Court crowd made for tasty viewing. The No2 seed from Serbia became riled with those making a lingering “Rune chant” and stared them down at various points throughout his two hours on the court. Initially he thought they were boos in his direction before the umpire Nico Helwerth tried to clarify the situation.
Ultimately, the chant merely fired Djokovic up to raise his level. He comfortably controlled proceedings and saved the two break points he faced during a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win over Rune, the No15 seed from Denmark.
Djokovic still maintained his belief afterwards that he heard boos from the stands. In an awkward on-court interview with the BBC’s Rishi Persad, he took the opportunity to directly address his detractors.
“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. “And to all those people that have chosen to disrespect the player, in this case me, have a goooooooood night. Goooooooood night. Goooooooood night.”
Persad then attempted to defuse the situation. “I am hoping they were just commenting on Rune and they were not disrespecting you,” he said. Djokovic, however, was having none of it.
Advertisement
“They were. I am not accepting it. They were disrespecting me. I know they were cheering for Holger but it was an excuse to also boo. Trust me, I have been on the tour for 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 had calmed down by the time he reached his post-match press conference about 90 minutes later, admitting that there was little organisers could do in this particular situation as it was unfeasible to eject a large number of people for booing. He also acknowledged that paying ticketholders have the “right to cheer the way they want”.
Still, though, Djokovic insisted that some of Rune’s supporters had acted unfairly towards him.
“If somebody steps over the line, I react,” he said. “That’s basically what it was.”
Problems with the crowd aside, Djokovic is moving nicely through the gears as this grand-slam fortnight progresses. Little more than a month after undergoing knee surgery, he is three wins away from a record 25th grand-slam singles title.
Advertisement
When the match finally got underway at 7.12pm after a long wait, any hope that Rune had of claiming an upset was dealt an early blow with a dreadful start. He lost the first 12 points of the match as Djokovic raced 3-0 ahead before going on to take the first set.
Djokovic showed some signs of discomfort midway through the second set by repeatedly touching his stomach. The cause of the problem became clear when he dashed off the court during a change of ends to head to the toilet.
It did not have any impact on his tennis. Despite failing to take six set points on the Rune serve at 5-3, he brushed it off by serving out a two-set lead in the next game. Rune’s supporters then became the target of his attention as he gestured with his mouth towards them.
Djokovic occasionally lost his footing during the third set and slipped on the damp court, which had not received any sunlight all day with the roof closed. Again, though, it did not have any lasting effect on his performance as he eased across the finish line to set up a quarter-final against Australia’s Alex de Minaur on Wednesday.
“I’m very pleased,” Djokovic said. “I don’t think he [Rune] has played anywhere close to his best to be honest. It was a tough start for him. He lost the first 12 points and I think that got to him mentally. Waiting all day to come out on the court is never easy. The tension is building up and stressed to get out on the court.
Advertisement
“On my end I think I‘ve done things at the important moments. Things could have looked different if I lost those services games [a reference to the two break points he saved] but I was very solid at the end and I’m very happy to get through in straight sets. I am feeling great on the court.”
