The feud between Novak Djokovic and the British crowd has received a firm admission. During the pre-quarters showdown against Holger Rune, the Serb was surrounded by a disturbing environment full of haters who insulted the tennis great and booed against his name. While it was just the Serb who revealed the intensity at the moment, the young Dane also came forward to share his opinion.

A controversy erupted during the match between Novak Djokovic and Holger Rune, as the crowd’s consistent chants made the Serb believe that he was being booed. However, Rune later clarified that the fans were actually calling out his name in excitement. The chants of “Ruuuuuune” sounded like “Boooooo,” causing confusion amid the crucial showdown.

After Novak Djokovic’s frustrated comments on the situation, his rival Holger Rune came forward to explain the situation in detail. “It all started at the US Open when we first played each other. The crowd chanted my name, and it sounded a bit like ‘boo.’ We’ve played in places like Italy and France, where my name sounds different. Here in England, it probably sounded like ‘boo’ to those who didn’t know. But it was my name. He’s played so many matches since our last one. If he didn’t remember, it could sound different for him,” he said mentioning how it wasn’t something that was initiated on the same day.

Despite the misunderstanding, Rune said that the crowd maintained consistent support for both the players. “I think it was great support for both players. They were supporting him on good points and supporting me. Nice scenes on Centre Court,” he added, as an attempt to neutralize the heated-up situation.

Rune’s comment came after Novak Djokovic admitted to the fact that he was unhappy with the treatment by fans. “I don’t accept it. I’ve been on tour for more than 20 years. I know all the tricks. It’s fine, I focus on the people that have respect and paid for tickets. I’ve played in much more hostile environments. You can’t touch me,” he said, making it clear that as an experienced player, respect stands to be mandatory.

However, before even Rune came forward to explain what actually happened, Djokovic had already registered his thoughts.

Novak Djokovic sees the cheers for Holger Rune as an “excuse”

Novak Djokovic didn’t delay the discussion regarding the crowd’s interference. Soon after securing a win over Holger Rune, he used the on-court interview to directly point them out for the irrelevant behavior. While the conversation continued during his post-match conference, the Serb explained how the cheers for Holger Rune were nothing but an excuse to hide the intensity of heckling.

“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,” Djokovic said, sticking to his claim that clearly stood against the British crowd.