Djokovic addresses 'disrespectful' chants following win over Rune

Novak Djokovic reacts to a point during his match against Holger Rune on Day 8 of The Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

Novak Djokovic addresses 'disrespectful' chants following victory over Holger Rune

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Jul 8, 2024 8:21 PM ET

Novak Djokovic didn't appreciate a loud contingent of Holger Rune fans in the Round of 16 at Wimbledon on Monday.

Djokovic coasted to a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory in two hours and three minutes, but supporters chanted "Rune" throughout the match. Coincidentally, the cheer sounds similar to "boo."

Though these crowd members probably weren't heckling Djokovic, he gave them a piece of his mind in a post-match interview, via The Athletic's X account.

Novak Djokovic took aim at sections of the Centre Court crowd at Wimbledon for “disrespect” towards him during his match with Holger Rune.

"And to all those people who have chosen to disrespect the player, in this case me, have a goooooood night."

https://t.co/QIoTQRf1Vb pic.twitter.com/3ofwpc1Qkf
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 8, 2024

It's clear this didn't affect Djokovic's play. Per IBM SlamTracker, he hit five aces and 21 winners. He also won 91 of the match's 160 points. Given his stellar showing, it's easy to argue the 37-year-old feeds off of doubters.

"Novak seems to embrace the … I wouldn't say hate … but embrace the hecklers [in the crowd]," ESPN's Chris Fowler said during the telecast, via The Athletic's Eric Drobny.

Perhaps Djokovic was creating a slight to motivate himself.

"Novak even had to ask the umpire earlier why the crowd was 'booing' when in fact they were 'Roooo-ning' for Holger Rune," wrote Drobny.

"My read is that he knew. And he always knows the answer to these things."

Regardless, Djokovic keeps showing why's one of the greatest players of all time. He has reached a record 60 Grand Slam quarterfinals with his victory over Rune.

A 15th visit to the #Wimbledon quarter-finals, and a 60th Grand Slam quarter-final in total for Novak Djokovic

The No.2 seed defeats Holger Rune 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 to book his place once again in the last eight pic.twitter.com/gvuPXIle9j
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 8, 2024

If he makes it to the final and wins the grass-court tournament, he will tie Roger Federer for the most Wimbledon championships (eight). This may explain why Djokovic is displaying his competitive fire.

Plus, winning the tournament may feel even more special after he underwent surgery on a torn right meniscus on June 5 and was expected to miss Wimbledon.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

More must-reads: