Novak Djokovic furiously accused British fans of disrespecting him after Serbia defeated Great Britain in the Davis Cup quarterfinal last night.
After defeating Cam Norrie 6-4 to win the match 2-0, the world no. 1 became enraged as UK fans began to sing and bang drums during his on-court post-match interview.
Djokovic said angrily to the spectators: “Learn how to respect players, how to behave yourselves, how to respect people, you shut up, you be quiet.”
There were about 5,000 spectators, and other British fans were telling them to shut up so they could hear Djokovic’s remarks after yet another masterclass.
In response to some apparently mild provocation following the opening set, Djokovic also waved sarcastic kisses to the same section in the stands.
After his anger faded, Djokovic expressed his feelings and said: “In the Davis Cup, it’s normal that sometimes fans step over the line, but in the heat of the moment, you react too. They can do whatever they want, but I’m going to respond to that. At the end, I was trying to talk and they were purposely starting to play the drums and they were trying to annoy me the entire match. So we had a little bit of a chat in the end.”
Drama. 😮
🥁 The Team GB section was playing drums during Djokovic’s interview, after knocking Great Britain out of the Davis Cup:
Novak replied: "Learn how to respect players, learn how to respect people, you shut up, you be quiet." pic.twitter.com/SNNsCcxtSn
— Olly 🎾🇬🇧 (@Olly_Tennis_) November 23, 2023
Novak Djokovic made some friends among the British fans yesterday 💥
(🎥 @teozorzoli) pic.twitter.com/GCPlJz0SUg
— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) November 24, 2023
Novak Djokovic in 2023
Currently the world no.1, Novak played his last match on the 23rd of November when he beat world no.18 Cameron Norrie 6-4 6-4 in the Rubber 2 of the Davis Cup (draw).
This season Djokovic owns a composed 56-6 win-loss record. Novak conquered 7 titles in 2023 in Adelaide, Australian Open, French Open, Cincinnati, U.S. Open, Paris and the Nitto ATP Finals. Djokovic was the finalist in Wimbledon.