Djokovic Disappointed in Wimbledon Fans after Day 6 Win

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Djokovic Disappointed in Wimbledon Fans after Day 6 Win

Wimbledon, England—Novak Djokovic handled himself like a true gentleman after his four-set win over Kyle Edmund on Day 6 at Wimbledon, but that didn’t stop him from admitting what most already felt—that the Centre Court crowd's crowd fervent support of a hometown fave was a bit over the top.

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Perhaps it was the jubilation from a momentous World Cup win by England, or the lethal combo of extreme heat and a few too many Pimm’s, but it all added up to the type of tricky conditions that Djokovic has become accustomed to in his career. The man who braved far worse conditions to win the 2015 U.S. Open final over Roger Federer (one of the more racous pro-Federer crowds in recent history tried to will Federer to victory on that New York evening) handled everything that Edmund and the crowd threw at him and afterwards made sure to defend Edmund, who has drawn ire for his silence after a double-bounce call was missed by umpire Jake Garner at a pivotal moment in the fourth set.

“Nothing against Kyle there,” he said “You couldn't know. I mean, he was running towards the ball and he just hit it and he dropped his racquet. He couldn't know. Doesn't deserve [the criticism he is getting].”

He didn’t let the crowd off as easily, however.

“It was a Davis Cup-like atmosphere,” Djokovic said. “I expected them to support Kyle, obviously. But at times they were slightly unfair to me. That's how it goes.”

Later he continued: “I thought the crowd's reaction after [he was awarded with a time violation] was quite unnecessary,” he said. “A couple guys really, you know, pretending they were coughing and whistling while I was bouncing the ball more or less to the end of the match at that end where I received the time violation. Those are the things obviously that people don't get to see or hear on the TV. I just think it's not necessary. That's what I didn't like.”

When asked if the crowd was a bit more extreme than the times that he had faced British legend Andy Murray at Wimbledon and at the 2012 Olympics (also at Wimbledon), Djokovic had the following to say:

“The crowd was very fair when I played against Andy,” he said. “Obviously they support their player. There's nothing you can say about that. Of course, I mean, it's expected.

“But today there was just some people, especially behind that end where I got the time violation, they kept on going, they kept on going, provoking. That's something that I can tolerate for a little bit, but I'm going to show that I'm present, as well, that they can't do whatever they feel like doing.”

Edmund, 23, was the last British man standing at Wimbledon this year.

Djokovic moves on to face Russia’s Karen Khachanov in the round of 16.

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