Novak Djokovic argued with the British audience after Wednesday’s Davis Cup match, claiming that they treated him without respect, disrupted his game and provoked him. The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), the governing body of tennis in the UK, is intervening in the case.
The Davis Cup competition ended on Sunday, November 26. We will remember this year’s edition of the team tennis tournament for a long time, because it was a truly historic event. Italians won the Davis Cup for the first time since 1976. Novak Djokovic, on the other hand, not only lost two matches in the same day for the first time in 12 years and Serbia was eliminated in the semi-finals, but also had to deal with attacks from an unfavorable audience. The LTA, the British tennis governing body, spoke out about the conflict between Djokovic and the public.
Novak Djokovic struggled with a group of approximately 5,000 British tennis fans during Wednesday’s Davis Cup match. Djokovic claims that the crowd intentionally interrupted his play throughout the match and made him nervous. Let us remind you that during a tennis match, when a rally is in progress, absolute silence is required, and between rallies you must refrain from any signs of disapproval of the player or applauding after the player makes a mistake. Djokovic, although known for his explosive nature, remained relatively calm during the match. He only let his nerves loose in the post-match interview, which took place on the court, when one of the fans shouted at him “shut up”.
“Learn how to respect players, how to behave yourselves, learn how to respect people, you shut up, you be quiet,” Djokovic told British fans after beating Norrie.
In the post-match conference, Djokovic described the behavior of British fans as disrespectful. He admitted that although you have to be prepared when taking part in an event such as the Davis Cup, he sometimes reacts to someone’s behavior in the heat of the moment. That’s why he responded to his unfavorable fans. that you do not allow such behavior. I mean, they can do whatever they want, but I’ll answer that. They were trying to annoy me the whole match, so yes, we finally had a little chat,” Djokovic said after the match.
Now the LTA is taking a stand on the matter.
“Passion is a unique component of the Davis Cup and it is a competition where emotions run high. We are lucky to have strong travelling support and would always encourage GB supporters to behave with respect for our opposition,” an LTA spokesperson said in a statement.
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