Novak Djokovic claimed that a group of British fans were displaying “disrespect” towards him during his game, as he secured Serbia’s 2-0 victory against Great Britain by defeating Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-4.
“I was met with quite a bit of disrespect throughout the entire match, but it’s something I have to anticipate in this sport,” he stated. “In the Davis Cup, it’s not uncommon for fans to cross the line, and in the heat of the moment, I also reacted and made it clear that such behavior is not acceptable.”
During the first set, Djokovic showed his frustration with a group of fans sitting behind the Great Britain team’s bench. As he closed out the set with his serve, he expressed this annoyance by blowing a kiss to one particularly loud spectator.
Following the match, Djokovic spoke to the audience during an on-court interview. However, some British fans who were part of the tennis supporters groups that attend Davis Cup ties began loudly drumming, making it difficult to hear his words. Djokovic responded by saying, “We will get a good night’s sleep and continue on.” He then addressed the fans, stating, “Please learn to respect players.” The interaction continued with Djokovic telling the fans to be quiet and not interrupt.
Later on, Djokovic expressed that although fans have the freedom to behave however they please, he will still respond in the same manner in similar situations. He stated, “They have the right to do as they please, but I will not hesitate to react.” He further explained that during the match, the fans purposely played drums to disrupt his attempt to communicate and intentionally annoyed him throughout. Despite this, he did have a conversation with them towards the end of the match.
The captain of the British Davis Cup team, Leon Smith, mentioned that there were no problems between the two teams. He stated, “I greeted [Viktor] Troicki, congratulated him, and also congratulated Novak. He played an excellent match. There was no hostility between us whatsoever. In fact, our entire coaching team went over there and exchanged handshakes. We have nothing but admiration for them.”
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Aside from the theatrics, Djokovic consistently sets new records every time he plays on the tennis court. He has not lost a single singles match in Davis Cup since 2011, making it an unbeaten streak of 21 matches. This latest win, his 44th in Davis Cup, has also secured him the title of Serbia’s all-time leader in match wins at the event, surpassing former doubles No 1 Nenad Zimonjic.
