Novak Djokovic is reportedly frustrated with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, which contributed to his outburst on Monday, as suggested by Wimbledon BBC star John Lloyd. Djokovic, despite being a seven-time Wimbledon champion, has not received the same level of adoration as his fellow tennis legends Federer and Nadal. During his recent match at SW19 where he defeated Holger Rune in the last 16, Djokovic was booed by the Centre Court crowd. In response, he angrily confronted the spectators, insisting they could not affect his performance.
Following this incident, Djokovic abruptly ended a BBC interview after just 98 seconds, refusing to discuss the crowd reaction further. With Djokovic now advancing to the semi-finals due to a walkover, Lloyd, a longtime tennis commentator and analyst for the BBC, shared his views on Djokovic’s emotional outburst.
Lloyd remarked, “I think deep down he gets a bit annoyed at some of his rivals, particularly Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who have been so beloved on court. Novak, at times, doesn’t receive the same level of adulation as those two, and I think it can bother him when the crowd turns against him, even though it’s not personal.”
Meanwhile, tennis legend John McEnroe urged Wimbledon spectators to show more respect to Djokovic, even likening him to the ‘Darth Vader’ of tennis due to his polarizing presence. McEnroe acknowledged Djokovic’s enduring greatness in the sport and criticized the crowd’s reaction, suggesting it has been a longstanding issue Djokovic has faced throughout his career.
During last year’s Wimbledon final and in his recent second-round victory at this year’s Championships, Djokovic has been involved in incidents where he gestured to the crowd and called for a spectator to be removed by the umpire.