Novak Djokovic Disses Wimbledon Crowd After Hearing 'Boos' in Match

Madison Williams | Jul 8, 2024

Novak Djokovic messes with the Wimbledon crowd on Centre Court after beating Holger Rune in the Round of 16. / BBC/Screengrab

Novak Djokovic beat Holger Rune in a three-set match, 6–3, 6–4, 6–2, in the Round of 16 on Monday at Wimbledon, and the World No. 2 wasn't too pleased with the crowd at Centre Court afterwards.

Fans are known to cheer for Rune with the long "u" sound that almost sounds like the word "boo." Djokovic swears that fans used this chant as a way to actually boo him during the match. While this wouldn't be the first time Djokovic has been booed on the court—he's played for over 20 years and has won 24 major titles—this specific instance seemed to irk him.

He was pretty sassy with the crowd in his post-match interview, repeatedly telling the fans to have a "gooooooood" night.

"To all those people who have chosen to disrespect the player, in this case me, have a good night," Djokovic said, sparking some laughter in the crowd. "They were [booing me]. I don't accept it. 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 fine. ... I’ve played in much more hostile environments, trust me. You guys can’t touch me."

Novak Djokovic not happy with the crowd at Wimbledon after match with Rune

“I know they were cheering for Rune but that’s an excuse to boo… I know all the tricks..”

“I’ve played in much more hostile environments. You guys can’t touch me”

🥶

pic.twitter.com/pdnFFQwiGm

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 8, 2024

The crowd clearly didn't bother him too much as Djokovic pretty easily skirted through the match. He will face No. 9 Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinal on Wednesday. Djokovic will now play in 60 major quarterfinals in his career, which is the most in the Open Era.