Novak Djokovic has hit out at “disrespectful” fans on Centre Court at Wimbledon during his straight-sets win over Holger Rune.
The Serbian was repeatedly showered with cries of “Rune,” which he maintained were supposed to serve as boos in a spicy atmosphere at SW19.
And Djokovic, a seven-time champion at Wimbledon, took aim at those cheering Rune and explained why he thought it was “disrespectful”.
“To all the fans that have respect and have stayed here tonight, thank you from the bottom of my heart, I appreciate it,” Djokovic said.
“To all those people who chose to disrespect the player, in this case me. Have a gooooooood night. Gooooood night, goooooood night.
“They were, they were, I don’t accept it. I know they were cheering Rune, but it’s an excuse to boo. Listen, I’ve been on the tour 20 years, I know all the tricks, it’s fine, it’s OK. I focus on the respectful people, who pay for their ticket, come tonight and love tennis and appreciate the players and the effort the players that they put in.
“I played in a much more hostile environment, trust me, you guys can’t touch me. I’m feeling great on the court, take it day by day. I hit the practice courts tomorrow and analyse this match.”
Nick Kyrgios, the 2022 finalist and friend of Djokovic, disagreed with Djokovic’s theory on the chants, insisting it was just affectionate towards the Danish player.
“It wasn’t [booing], but crowds around the world need to understand, Novak doesn’t need more motivation,” the Australian said. “He’s driven, one of the best players in the world.
“I’ve seen it time and again, the crowd poke the bear, that’s not what you want to do against Novak. Some said that was his first test? He answered all the questions. It’s a blockbuster against Alex De Minaur.”
Meanwhile, Kyrgios has tipped Jannik Sinner to win the men’s singles, with the Italian back in action on Tuesday against Daniil Medvedev.
“It’s a big day for the Italians,” Kyrgios said, also referencing Jasmine Paolini’s match against Emma Navarro.
“Jannik has looked so good, so far, that test against [Matteo] Berrettini has put him in good stead. I think I’ll go with Jannik Sinner, I think it’s a safe bet right now.”
