‘You guys can’t touch me’: Novak Djokovic accuses Wimbledon crowd of disrespect after reaching quarterfinals
By Ben Church, CNN
(CNN) — 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.
The Serb took just over two hours to beat Holger Rune – 6-3 6-4 6-2 – on Centre Court but was irked by sections of the crowd who were rooting for his Danish opponent.
Throughout the match, spectators could be heard shouting “Ruuuuune” in support of the world No. 15, a chant which sounds similar to booing.
“To all the fans that have respect and have stayed here tonight, thank you very much from the bottom of my heart. I appreciate it,” Djokovic said in his post–match interview.
“And to all those people who have chosen to disrespect a player – in this case, me – have a goooood night.”
When the on-court interviewer suggested fans had just been chanting for Rune, rather than booing, Djokovic doubled down.
“I don’t accept it. No. I know they were cheering for Rune, but that’s an excuse to also boo.
“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 OK. I focus on the respectful people, who have respect, that paid the ticket to come and watch tonight, and love tennis and appreciate the players and the effort that the players put in here.
“I’ve played in a much more hostile environment, trust me. You guys can’t touch me.”
It’s not the first time Djokovic has been left angry by the crowd after a match against Rune.
At the 2021 US Open, the same situation occurred when Djokovic was confused by what he thought was booing from the crowd.
After Monday’s defeat, Rune said it had been nice to hear the crowd chant his name and said his opponent had been mistaken again.
“If you don’t know what’s happening, it probably sounded like ‘boo,’ but it was my name,” Rune said.
“But [Djokovic] has played so many matches since it happened last time, he probably didn’t remember.”
Despite being unhappy by sections of the crowd on Monday, Djokovic managed to remain calm and dispatch a below-par Rune.
At points, Djokovic had looked hampered by a stomach issue but managed to shake it off to reach his 15th Wimbledon quarterfinal.
Despite undergoing surgery for a torn meniscus last month, the 37-year-old looks to be in great shape as he eyes what would be his seventh Wimbledon title.
He will now play Australia’s Alex de Minaur on Wednesday for a place in the semifinals.
“Alex [de Minaur] is one of the quickest, if not the quickest, player on Tour. But I’m enjoying my running still at 37. Looking forward to the match,” Djokovic added.
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