‘You guys can’t touch me’ – Novak Djokovic hits out at disrespectful Wimbledon fans and Nick Kyrgios loves it
Novak Djokovic beat Holger Rune then told disrespectful fans where to go.
Djokovic, arguably the greatest player of all time, beat Rune on Monday night in straight sets but had to deal with vocal fans from some sections of the Centre Court crowd at Wimbledon, which he called out once the match was won.
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There was loud support for 21-year-old Rune and his name was repeatedly chanted. However, to Djokovic, it appeared they were booing him - and he got his own back.
After claiming the second set 6-4, the Serbian was seen booing the fans back, or at least making some fun of the situation by appearing to taunt them.
He stared them down after winning the second set before going on to cruise to victory and unleashing in his on-court interview.
“To all the fans that have respect for me tonight, thank you very much from the bottom of my heart. I appreciate it," Djokovic said.
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“And to all those people who have chosen to disrespect a player, in this case me, have a gooooooodddd night!
“Gooodddd night, goooddd night! Very good night.”
It was a response 2022 Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios, working for the BBC at Wimbledon this year, enjoyed. The Australian, who was beaten by Djokovic, laughed on Twitter as he mimicked the interview.
When broadcaster Rishi Persad suggested the boos Djokovic believes he was getting may have been chants of Rune's name, Djokovic responded: “They were [disrespecting me]. I don’t accept it. No, no no.
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“I know they were cheering for Rune, but that’s an excuse to also boo. Listen, I’ve been on the tour for 20 years so trust me I know all the tricks, I know how it works.
“It’s fine. I focus on the respectful people. They have respect, they pay the ticket to come and watch tonight and love tennis and appreciate the players and the effort they put in.
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“I played in much more hostile environments, you guys can’t touch me.”
Speaking about the incident later, Kyrgios, acknowledged it wasn't booing, but told BBC Sport: "I think crowds all around the world need to understand that Novak doesn't need more of a motive to play better.
"He's driven, one of the best players in the world and I've seen it time and time again, the crowd try to poke the bear and that's not what you want to do against Novak.
"He loves it. I try not to poke the bear when I play him…and I really struggle with that. Obviously it cost me my Wimbledon final.
"He doesn't need more of a motive to go out there and prove to someone he is the greatest of all time."
During his win Djokovic appeared to have some stomach troubles. There was a moment in the first set when the 37-year-old asked the umpire if he could go for a bathroom break and was told he had just 45 seconds to go.
Eventually, he had no choice and made for the toilet before re-emerging swiftly after.
Nevertheless, Djokovic still looked a level above throughout the contest - finishing the match with a ruthless strike that left Rune all ends up.
Crowning off his victory, he pulled out another violin celebration for his smiling daughter in the crowd.
Rune, meanwhile, was applauded off Centre Court, and received a loud and final 'RUNE' as he exited the competition.
Djokovic, into his seventh successive quarter-final, will face Alex De Minaur on Wednesday.
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