Djokovic walks out of BBC interview in fresh bust-up over Wimbledon ‘disrespect’

Novak Djokovic walked out of an interview with the BBC after taking issue with a series of questions.

Djokovic sat down with the BBC after beating Holger Rune in the round of 16 and was immediately asked about his angry reaction to the Wimbledon crowd. The seven-time Wimbledon champion believed some fans were booing him, but they appeared to actually be shouting “Ruuuuuune” in support of his opponent.

After leaving centre court, Djokovic conducted an interview with the BBC which only lasted a few minutes before he walked away. In footage shared by BBC Sport on social media, the interview starts with Djokovic asked how he feels about the crowd after having some more time to reflect on what happened.

“Same,” he simply replied. The reporter then followed up by asking if he feels he gets the respect he deserves at Wimbledon, with Djokovic responding: “Look, as I said in the post-match interview, I thanked all of the people.

“Most of the people in the stadium tonight were respectful and I thank them and I know that, after watching tennis all day, it’s not easy to stay. So, I was thankful. I don’t take it for granted.

“Obviously, they’re a big part of why I still play, the crowds and the people who really appreciate the tennis players and what we do and the efforts we put in. We appreciate them paying tickets and coming to support us and support tennis, to support this beautiful tournament.

“So I always try to acknowledge that. But when I feel the crowd is stepping over the line then I react. I don’t regret my words or actions on the court.” However, Djokovic was not happy when the reporter followed up by asking about the impact the crowd can have on his performance.

He replied: “Do you have any other questions other than the crowd? I mean, are you focused only on that or do you have any questions about the match or something like that, or is it solely focused on that?”

The reporter then justified his line of questioning by pointing out that Djokovic’s immediate reaction after his win was to talk about the crowd. “Well, I mean, this is the third question already,” Djokovic interjected. “I said what I had to say.”

The reporter did move on to ask about the Serb’s upcoming quarter-final clash with Alex de Minaur, but Djokovic only gave a blunt reply before walking out of the interview. “Yeah, I look forward to it,” he said. “It’s going to be a tough one. Thanks.”

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