Fuming Novak Djokovic clashes with Wimbledon fans as atmosphere turns sour

Novak Djokovic bit back at Wimbledon fans on Centre Court

Novak Djokovic put his finger to his ear as tensions rose with the Wimbledon crowd on Centre Court during his match against Wu Yibing. The Serbian veteran appeared rattled by the British audience’s support for his opponent, who entered the contest as a major underdog yet managed to claim the second set.

Having won the crowd over with a series of audacious shots and hard-fought play, Wu’s name rang out loud inside the venue. With all other evening matches suspended due to fading light, all eyes were solely fixed on the Djokovic vs Wu clash.

Yet as the crowd chanted “Wu”, many interpreted the noise as booing directed at Djokovic. The 26-year-old’s name was cheered even when Djokovic took points, which visibly frustrated the seven-time Wimbledon champion.

However, as he mounted a comeback in the third set, Djokovic clinched a vital point. He immediately pointed to his ear and appeared to cup it, casting his gaze around the arena.

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BBC commentator Andrew Cotter said of the moment: “It’s loose, it’s wide. It’s wild from Wu and Djokovic says, ‘Cheer for me now’. And they do!”

Co-commentator John McEnroe added: “You don’t do that to Djokovic, start chanting Wu. It’s a bad idea. We’ve seen it hundreds of times. He’s like, ‘Thank you.'”

Cotter continued: “He has this curious relationship with Centre Court. Sometimes they go against him, they are looking for the underdog and the story. But if you wind him up like that and cheer for his opponent, he will feed off that.”

It’s not the first occasion that crowd backing for an opponent has antagonised Djokovic. In 2024, the seven-time champion met Holger Rune in the fourth round on Centre Court, and supporters chanted: “Ruuuune.”

However, the 39-year-old believed they were booing him and addressed the crowd during a tense on-court interview. “To all those people that have chosen to disrespect the player, in this case me, have a gooood night,” he said.

When informed that the spectators were saying the Dane’s name, Djokovic added: “They were disrespecting me. I don’t accept it. I know they were cheering for Rune, but that’s an excuse to also boo.”

Djokovic is attempting to secure a joint-record eighth Wimbledon men’s title and is a nine-time finalist at SW19. However, his relationship with the audience has not always been harmonious.

He has often felt underappreciated and has insisted that he has not received the same warmth and appreciation that his predecessors, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, received during their careers.