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Former World No. 1 and record 24-time Grand Slam champion, Novak Djokovic continued to hog the limelight after his post-match interview around crowd controversy. The Serbian, who defeated Holger Rune 3-6, 4-6, 2-6 in the Round of 16 match at the Centre Court on Monday, July 8 to progress into the quarterfinals, slammed the spectators “disrespectful” for booing at him.
The controversy took a new turn when a BBC reporter in an interview, continuously questioned the Serb on the matter. In a post-match interview on Monday, Djokovic was agitated with a reporter’s persistent question about the Wimbledon crowd controversy. Although he remained composed while addressing the first three questions regarding his allegations, he then seemed agitated and was visibly upset for repeated inquiries.
While he once told the reporter to move to some other topic, the seven-time Wimbledon champion, later questioned him if he had any other subjects to discuss before opting to walk out of it within 98 seconds.
Watch Novak Djokovic walk out of an interview midway:
Here's how the conversation went:
Interviewer: "Novak, your post-match reactions speak about some members of the crowd being disrespectful. On reflection, how do you feel now?
Novak: Same.
Interviewer: "You're a 7-time champion here. Do you think you get the respect you deserve?"
Djokovic: "Look, as I said in the post-match interview, I think most of the people in the stadium were respectful. And I thank them and I know that after watching all the tennis, easy to say… I was thankful. I don't take it for granted obviously. They are a big part of why I still play. The crowd and the people who really appreciate tennis players and what we do and the efforts we put in. I appreciate them buying tickets and coming to support us."
"I always try to acknowledge that. But then, you know, when I feel that the crowd is stepping over the line, I react, and I don't regret my words or actions on the court."
Interviewer: "How do you feel your mindset is when there is some disrespect from the crowd? Does it help you play better?"
Djokovic: "Do you have any other questions other than the crowd or you're focussed only on that? Any questions about the match or something like that or… is it solely focussed on that?"
Interviewer: "Your immediate reaction afterwards…"
Djokovic: "This is the third question already. I mean, I said what I had to say."
Interviewer: "So, Alex de Minaur next?"
Djokovic: "Yes, look forward to it. It's going to be a tough one. Thanks"
The 37-year-old will next take on ninth seeded Alex de Minaur at the Centre Court on Wednesday, July 10 in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon 2024.
