- Novak Djokovic was furious after his three-set victory over Holger Rune
- He felt the crowd at Centre Court booed him – and a BBC presenter agreed
- READ MORE: Nick Kyrgios defends Novak Djokovic after Wimbledon outburst
A BBC presenter has backed Novak Djokovic’s claims that he was booed by the crowd on Wimbledon’s Centre Court on Monday night, claiming “absolute idiots” used chants of Holger Rune as a “disguise” to attack the Serb.
Seven-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic was irritated by what he perceived as a lack of respect during his 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Rune.
Presenter Sara Thornton was on Centre Court and although others claimed the chants were ‘Runeeeee’ and not boos, Thornton disagreed.
‘When I was on Centre Court I thought there were some absolute idiots in the crowd booing Novak #Djokovic under the name Rune… and unfortunately it caught on,’ she posted on X, formerly Twitter.
“But as a tennis fan I would say that was far outweighed by the enjoyment they got from the skillful play of both teams.”
Novak Djokovic took on the crowd on Centre Court on Monday, accusing them of disrespect
His wife Jelena Djokovic (right) looked slightly uncomfortable as Djokovic attacked the crowd
Seven-time champion turned his on-field interview into a tirade about what he felt were boos
BBC presenter Sara Thornton was on Centre Court and claimed there were ‘idiots’ booing
Djokovic safely reached the quarter-finals, but after promising ‘fireworks’ he made it happen in the form of his on-court interview after the match.
“To all the fans who showed respect and stayed here tonight, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I appreciate it,” he began.
‘And to all those people who chose to disrespect the player – in this case me – have a very nice evening.’
His rather bemused BBC interviewer Rishi Persad said: ‘I hope they were just commenting on Rune and not disrespecting you.’
Djokovic – who has a track record of stirring up crowds – was having none of it. ‘They were. They were [disrespecting me]’ he insisted. ‘I don’t accept it. No, no, no. I know they were cheering for Rune, but that’s an excuse to boo too.
“Listen, I’ve been on tour for over 20 years. I know all the tricks. I focus on the respectful people who pay the ticket, and love tennis and appreciate the players. I’ve played in much more hostile environments, believe me – you can’t touch me.”
His outburst came after he defeated Holger Rune in three sets to reach the quarter-finals
The outburst has divided tennis fans, with some arguing over whether they were simply cheering Rune on, something his Danish opponent believes.
His training partner at Wimbledon this week, Nick Kyrgios, who is also known for his on-court tantrums, also felt that Djokovic was not booed.
The Australian told BBC Sport afterwards: ‘It wasn’t [booing] but I think the public all over the world should understand that Novak doesn’t need any extra motivation to play better.
‘He’s driven, one of the best players in the world and I’ve seen it time and time again: the crowd tries to tease him and you don’t want to do that to Novak.
“He loves it. I try not to poke the bear when I play against him… and I really struggle with that. It cost me my Wimbledon final, of course.
“He doesn’t need any extra motivation to prove he’s the best of all time.”
More to follow.
