Novak Djokovic clashed with the crowd at the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters, but he admitted after the match that he's not really looking for trouble.
The Serbian battled Lorenzo Musetti, in Monte Carlo, where the Italian crowd comes out to support their players. That was also the case this time, and Djokovic had to battle both Musetti and the crowd.
There was no shortage of boos either, as Djokovic even had a bit of fun with orchestrating some of it as they were incoming. His best response was on the court, though, as he bested Musetti in two sets despite a slow start.
Asked about the boos after the match, Djokovic admitted that he wasn't looking for trouble which is generally true in most of his matches. Still, people have obviously differing opinions on that.
"Yeah, I think you would describe it well. I try to transform the energy into something that is constructive for me. I'm not looking for trouble with crowd. You know, I'm not there coming out, Okay, start whistling at me and I'll play better. It's not the kind of mentality I have."
"But if people start to react in a certain way that I don't think I deserve, you know, I don't think it's fair, if I don't think it's anyhow explainable, then, you know, I'll react back. You know, I have grown up with that kind of mentality that if somebody is doing something wrong to you, you stand your ground."
It's a fair point by Djokovic, and he's right in the sense that boos often come for no reason against him. It's just how some of the fans want to interpret themselves, especially when rooting for the opposing player, which happens a lot to the 24-time Grand Slam champion, who will take on Alex de Minaur in his next match in Monaco.