Novak Djokovic, having secured his spot in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, delivered a stern message to certain members of the Centre Court crowd, accusing them of using a Holger Rune chant as an excuse to boo him.
Djokovic, who defeated Denmark’s Holger Rune with a straight-sets victory of 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, faced an unusual reception from the fans during the match.
The crowd frequently erupted into chants of “Runeeeeeee” after Rune’s winners and Djokovic’s errors, creating a charged atmosphere.
When asked about the crowd’s engagement during the on-court interview with Rishi Persad, Djokovic responded with a powerful address to the spectators.
“To all the fans who have respect and have stayed here tonight, thank you very much from the bottom of my heart, I appreciate it,” Djokovic said.
He added, “And to all those people who have chosen to disrespect the player, in this case, me, have a goooood night. Goooood night. Goooood night. Very good night.”
Djokovic went on to explain his stance, saying, “They were disrespecting me. I don’t accept it. I know they were cheering for Rune, but that is an excuse to also boo. Listen, I’ve been on the tour for more than 20 years, trust me, I know the tricks, I know how it works. It’s fine, it’s fine, it’s okay. I focus on the respectful people, that have respect, that pay the ticket to come and watch the night and love tennis and appreciate the effort the players put in here. I’ve played in a much more hostile environment; you guys can’t touch me.”
Rune Clarifies Crowd Chants Misunderstood By Djokovic
Holger Rune, addressing the situation in a post-match press conference, suggested that Djokovic misinterpreted the crowd’s intentions.
“It all started in the US Open the first time we played each other in 2021,” Rune explained.
He further stated, “They were shouting my name ‘Ruuune’ and it sounded a bit like ‘boo’. If you don’t know what’s happening, it probably sounded like ‘boo’. But it was my name. But he’s played so many matches since it happened last time, he probably didn’t remember.”
With this victory, Djokovic has advanced to his 15th Wimbledon quarterfinal, surpassing Jimmy Connors (14) for the second-most quarterfinal appearances at the grass-court major.
Only Roger Federer, with 18, has more. Djokovic is also targeting his eighth Wimbledon title, aiming to equal Federer’s record. He will next face Alex de Minaur in his quest for the championship.
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