Tennis legend Novak Djokovic found himself at the center of controversy following his Round of 16 victory over Holger Rune. The match, which should have been a celebration of his skill and prowess, instead became a focal point for on-court tensions and media scrutiny over crowd behavior.
Djokovic, widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, was visibly agitated during the match, believing that the crowd was booing him. However, it was later clarified by the presenter that the crowd’s chants were actually in support of his opponent, Holger Rune. The name “Rune” reportedly produced a sound that Djokovic mistook for boos, leading to the misunderstanding.
ALSO READ: UEFA Euro 2024 Kicks Off: Germany Dominates Scotland 5-1 In The Opener
After securing his victory over Rune, Djokovic sat down for an interview with a BBC reporter. The discussion, however, quickly turned to the crowd incident, causing visible frustration for the Serbian player. When asked about his reaction to the crowd, Djokovic expressed his irritation, questioning the reporter’s focus on the topic.
“Do you have any questions other than the crowd? Are you focused only on that or any questions about the match, or something like that? Or is it solely focused on that? This is the third question already. I said what I have to say, maybe we can speak about something else,”Djokovic remarked.
The interview took an abrupt turn when Djokovic, fed up with the repeated inquiries about the crowd, walked out before its completion. The BBC later addressed the incident on social media, stating, “Novak Djokovic walked away from our post-match interview last night after we asked him about his reaction to some of the Centre Court crowd,” BBC Sport wrote on X
Novak Djokovic walked out of his interview with BBC in 98 seconds
Every question was focused on the crowd last night in the Rune match
“Do you have any other questions other than the crowd? Are you focused only on that? This is the 3rd question.”
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 9, 2024