Novak Djokovic slammed fans who requested for him to be "sent home" during his quarterfinal match against Andrey Rublev at the 2023 Australian Open.
After the match, Djokovic, who is known for his competitive spirit and fierce determination on the court, made it clear that he will not tolerate disrespectful and insulting behavior from fans, and that he will take action if the line is crossed.
“If it keeps happening, it keeps happening. There’s not much I can do about it. Just a few individuals. I can’t judge the whole crowd because of the few individuals – absolutely not. As I said, if somebody steps over the line and starts making comments that are not related to support of the other player, he just wants to provoke and insult, then stepping over the line is something that I react to. Maybe not first time, second time, but after that yes. Then I ask the chair umpire to react."
During the match, Djokovic heard a fan making insulting and disrespectful comments towards him, and he immediately asked the chair umpire to take action. He stated that while he can tolerate a certain amount of negative comments, there is a limit, and that limit was crossed.
“After that, I heard him, but he was supporting Rublev. He was not making any bad comments till the end of the match, so I didn’t have any complaints about that further on. Some people like you more, cheer for you, some don’t. It’s not something that I would say I have a problem with.”
“What I have a problem with is when somebody’s crossing the line – numerous times. From the very beginning, guys that were under the influence of alcohol, it was obvious, and I was grabbing my towel very close to them, particularly one guy, you heard his voice various times tonight, was insulting me and provoking me and saying things that were not respectful at all.”
Djokovic also emphasized that he does not have a problem with fans who do not support him, as long as their comments are respectful and supportive of the other player. He stated that he believes that the behavior of a few individuals should not be used to judge the whole crowd, and that the majority of fans are respectful and supportive.
“I can tolerate five, six times somebody telling me something, but there is a limit. That limit was crossed, and I stepped in and I asked the chair umpire, is he going to do something about it or not? He did, and I thanked him."
“I feel like it’s unnecessary for me or any other player to be put in this position after long time that match is already going, during of the match has already been two hours. It’s plenty of time for supervisor, chair umpire, whoever is responsible, to react before a player.”
0 Comments