Novak Djokovic accused Wimbledon fans of 'disrespect' in a scathing on-court rant after securing his 60th Grand Slam quarter-final and 15th at the All England Club on Monday. The world number two, a seven-time Wimbledon champion and vying for a record-setting 25th major, overcame 15th-ranked Holger Rune 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. Djokovic then unleashed a furious tirade against a section of Centre Court fans who persistently chanted 'Rune' throughout the match, which he interpreted as booing.
'To all the fans who have shown respect and remained here tonight, I thank you from the bottom of my heart and I appreciate it,' Djokovic said with evident anger. 'And to those who have chosen to disrespect the player—in this case, me—have a good night,' he added, mimicking his detractors' exaggerated 'Ruuuuune'.
When informed by the TV interviewer that some fans were shouting 'Rune' rather than 'boo', Djokovic retorted, 'They were (booing). They were. I am not accepting it. No, no, no. I know they were cheering for Rune but that's an excuse to also boo.' He continued, 'Listen, I have been on the tour for over 20 years. I know all the tricks, I know how it works. I focus on the respectful people who pay for the ticket, and love tennis and appreciate the players. I have played in much more hostile environments, trust me—you guys can't touch me.'
Later, Djokovic told reporters that crowds have the 'right to cheer who they want to cheer'. 'I'm not sure what Wimbledon can do about it. You can't remove a whole section of the crowd if they are misbehaving,' he said. 'I respect true fans but if someone steps over the line I will react.' The 37-year-old Serb, still wearing a knee support on his right leg after surgery last month, dominated the fourth-round match when Rune failed to win a single point in the opening three games. Djokovic saved a break point in the 10th game of the second set before securing another crucial break in the first game of the third.
Rune explained that his fans began chanting his name in their distinctive, booming style when they first met at the US Open in 2021. 'It sounded a little bit like 'boo'. We played each other many more times, but more in Italy and France, where they don't pronounce my name the same way,' he said. 'Now we're in England. If you don't know what was happening, probably it sounded like 'boo'. If he didn't remember, it could probably sound different for him.' Djokovic will next face Australian ninth seed Alex de Minaur for a spot in the semifinals.
