Novak Djokovic used his on-court interview to angrily accuse the fans of booing him. GETTY IMAGES

Novak Djokovic lashed out at the Wimbledon crowd following his straight-sets victory over Holger Rune in a bizarre live TV interview. The 37-year-old, who had promised "fireworks" in his fourth-round match, was far from pleased with the reception he received, despite his dominant performance.

After securing his place in his 60th-slam quarter-final, Djokovic used his on-court interview to angrily accuse the fans of booing him, despite there being no visible signs of hostility. "I know all the tricks... you can't touch me," he declared, turning his post-match moment into a fiery tirade against the Centre Court audience.

The seven-time Wimbledon champion, who was due to miss the competition through injury, seemed to be looking for a dramatic confrontation but instead delivered a stinging rebuke to the crowd as he vented his frustrations.

Novak Djokovic slammed the Wimbledon crowd after his victory over Holger Rune. GETTY IMAGES
Novak Djokovic slammed the Wimbledon crowd after his victory over Holger Rune. GETTY IMAGES

It appeared that the crowd was merely cheering "Ruuuuuuune" in support of his opponent, but Djokovic, as he often does, saw things from a different perspective.

"To all the fans who have shown respect and stayed here tonight, I thank you from the bottom of my heart and truly appreciate it," Djokovic said. "And to those who have chosen to disrespect the player, in this case, me, have a good night."

Rune revealed they were bellowing
Rune revealed they were bellowing "Ruuuunne", rather than "booooo" which Djokovic claimed. GETTY IMAGES



BBC interviewer Rishi Persad, somewhat taken aback, responded, "I hope they were just showing support for Rune and not being disrespectful to you."

Djokovic, known for confronting crowds, didn't entertain that notion. "They were. They were (disrespecting me)," he claimed. "I am not accepting it. No no no. I know they were cheering for Rune but that's an excuse to also boo.


"Listen, I have been on the tour for more than 20 years. I know all the tricks. I know how it works. It's fine, it's fine. I focus on the respectful people that pay for the ticket, and love tennis and appreciate the players and the effort the players put in here. 

"I played in much more hostile environments, trust me, you guys can't touch me." The 37-year-old appeared to think that some in the crowd were disguising their boos as support for Rune.


Rune himself remarked, "I mean, if you didn’t know what was going on, it probably just sounded like a ‘boo.’ But if we all understand the context, it was my name."

The tennis almost seemed secondary after that, but for the record, Djokovic won 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, delivering by far his best performance of the Championships up to that point. Rune struggled significantly, losing the first 12 points of the match and never truly finding his footing.