Perhaps someone could have told Novak Djokovic they were actually saying “Boo-Urns.”
Following his Round of 16 victory over Holger Rune at Wimbledon on Monday, Novak Djokovic found himself at odds with the crowd’s reaction and subsequently cut short an interview with the BBC due to questions about the situation.
The 37-year-old Djokovic became visibly frustrated when asked if the crowd’s “disrespect” had fueled his performance. He responded tersely, showing no remorse for his earlier sarcastic post-match comments.
“Do you have any questions other than the crowd? I mean, are you focused only on that or are there any questions about the match or is it solely focused on that?” Djokovic snapped at the reporter.
The reporter tried to explain, but Djokovic interrupted, “This is the third question already. I said what I have to say. Maybe we can speak about it…”
Attempting to move on, the reporter asked about Djokovic’s upcoming quarterfinal match against Australian Alex De Minaur. Djokovic gave a brief response before abruptly ending the interview, creating an awkward atmosphere.
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Earlier in the evening, Djokovic seemed to channel a professional wrestler, addressing the crowd’s boos with dramatic flair. Despite fans cheering for his opponent, Denmark’s Holger Rune, Djokovic likened his experience to Rocky Balboa fighting Ivan Drago in Russia in “Rocky IV.”
“To all the fans that have respect and stayed here tonight: Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart. I appreciate it,” Djokovic said. “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.”
Despite the tension, Djokovic, ranked second in the world, maintained that he was unfazed by the crowd’s behavior, asserting his veteran perspective on the situation.
“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,” Djokovic remarked. “I focus on the respectful people, that have respect, that paid for a ticket to watch tonight — and love tennis. And appreciate the players and the effort that the players put in here.”
As Djokovic prepares to face Alex De Minaur on Wednesday, it remains to be seen if the crowd’s attitude will shift, reminiscent of the transformative support Rocky received in “Rocky IV.”
Adding to the drama, Djokovic is now the highest-remaining seed in the tournament following top-seed Janik Sinner’s loss to Daniil Medvedev in the Tuesday quarterfinal.
The stakes are higher than ever for Djokovic as he continues his quest for another Wimbledon title amidst a whirlwind of crowd reactions and media scrutiny.
