Novak Djokovic He didn’t have much competition from Runa Holger In his fourth-round match at Wimbledon, the German was angered by the crowd’s behaviour, which overshadowed his impressive victory. On Centre Court, the crowd was chanting Rune’s name, but an annoyed Djokovic thought he was being “booed”.
Djokovic is no stranger to boos and jeers from the crowd, and while his behavior drives him to do better, he didn’t ignore them this time and ranted about them back during his winner’s speech. After winning the second set, Djokovic even pouted to mimic the crowd’s boos or, shall we say, their “Ruuuuuune.”
Watch the video here:
It doesn’t really matter that the crowd didn’t boo Novak Djokovic, what matters is that he thinks they did. The man has millions of fans around the world, but nothing motivates him more than a handful of people who hate him. image.twitter.com/EeoA8PInLn
— Scott Barclay (@BarclayCard18) July 8, 2024
As I sat on Centre Court, I thought there were some morons in the crowd booing Novak. #Djokovic Using Rune’s name as a disguise… and sadly it became contagious. But as a tennis fan, I’d say that was far outweighed by those who reveled in the skillful play on both sides. https://t.co/Wg2yKAB9zm
— Sara Thornton (@SaraThornton1) July 8, 2024
Djokovic mocks crowd chants of ‘RUNEEEE’ image.twitter.com/lr8s6A5Iaf
— Olly (@Olly_Tennis_) July 8, 2024
During the post-match interview, when the interviewer explained to the Serb that the crowd was chanting Rune’s name, Djokovic didn’t accept it at all. He said that although the crowd was cheering for Rune, a part of them was booing him. He accused that part of the crowd of disrespecting him and called them out saying “Good night!”
They were, they were. I don’t accept it. No, no, no. They were cheering for Rune, but they were also booing me. I have been playing on this tour for 20 years and I know how it works. I will focus on those people who respect players, who have paid money to watch tonight, love tennis, and appreciate the players.Novak Djokovic said after the match
This is not the first time Djokovic has reacted to boos from the Wimbledon crowd. Last year, during the final against Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic was distracted by shouts while serving.
Holger Rune says the crowd was chanting his name instead of booing Novak Djokovic
Holger Rune recalled his previous match against Novak Djokovic and explained that it is not the first time he has heard his name from the mouths of the crowd, who draw out the vowels to the point that it ends up sounding like “boo”. The Dane believes that although Djokovic complained about the behaviour of the crowd, it probably did not play a major role in the match.
If you don't know what was happening, it probably sounded like 'boo'. But if we all know what happened, it was my name. If he didn't remember, it could probably sound different to him. I don't think it played a massive part in the match.Holger Rune said after the match
Djokovic will next face Australian Alex de Minaur in the quarter-finals. The Serb holds a 2-1 lead in their head-to-head.
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