As the 2022 tennis season wound down in the cold indoor stadiums across Europe, Novak Djokovic found himself in an unusual situation. In the final of the Paris Masters that November, the Serb’s high level would have been sufficient to defeat many adversaries, but for once his opponent was even better. That night, a fearless 19-year-old named Holger Rune toppled Djokovic to win his first Masters 1000 title.
Contents
Rune’s Progress and Djokovic’s Dominance
- Rune’s Journey: Two years on from that striking encounter, Rune has not made as much progress as he hoped.
- Djokovic’s Victory: Under the Centre Court roof on Monday evening, an excellent Djokovic thoroughly outplayed Rune and silenced the crowd, returning to the quarter-finals of Wimbledon with a comfortable 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win.
Crowd Behavior and Djokovic’s Response
- Crowd Cheers: Spectators bellowed “Ruuuune” throughout the evening in a deep, elongated chant that sounded similar to booing.
- Djokovic’s Reaction: After his victory, Novak Djokovic thanked the respectful parts of the crowd and criticized those who he felt disrespected him.
Post-Match Comments
- Djokovic’s Statement: “They were, I don’t accept it. No. I know they were cheering for Rune but that’s an excuse to also boo. Listen, I’ve been on the tour for more than 20 years, so trust me, I know all the tricks. I know how it works. It’s fine, it’s OK. I focus on the respectful people, who have respect, that paid the ticket to come and watch tonight, and love tennis and appreciate the effort that the players put in here. I’ve played in a much more hostile environment, trust me. You guys can’t touch me.”
- Djokovic’s Appreciation: “To all the fans that have respect and stayed here tonight, thank you from the bottom of my heart, I appreciate it. And to all the fans who have chosen to disrespect me, have a gooood night,” he added, referencing the “Rune” chants.
Rune’s Perspective
- Rune’s Comments: Rune did not see any issue with the crowd’s behavior and referenced fans attempting similar chants during their meeting in 2021. “If you don’t know what was happening, probably it sounded like ‘boo’. But if we all know what happened, it was my name. Obviously he’s played so many matches since he played me last time. If he didn’t remember, it could probably sound different for him. I don’t think it played a massive part in the match,” said Rune.
Novak Djokovic’s Next Challenge
- Quarter-Final Match: Novak Djokovic will next face Alex de Minaur, the ninth seed, in quarter-final No 60 on Wednesday.
- De Minaur’s Victory: Earlier, De Minaur defeated Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. The Australian suffered an injury scare at the end of the match after sliding out to his forehand, but he later said he was OK.
- Fritz’s Comeback: Taylor Fritz, seeded 13th, continued to play some of the best tennis of his career as he pulled off a spectacular comeback from two sets down to defeat Alexander Zverev, the fourth seed, 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 6-3.
