Roger Federer’s ex-coach doesn’t ‘see any logic’ in Novak Djokovic Wimbledon Centre Court row
Former world No 3 Ivan Ljubicic has revealed he can’t “see any logic” amid ongoing discussions on Novak Djokovic’s clash with the Centre Court crowd on Monday.
The Serbian breezed through his round four match against 15th seed Holger Rune, picking up a convincing 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win against an opponent he has struggled with previously.
That victory saw seven-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic reach a 15th quarter-final at the All England Club, and he is now in a 13th sem-final following the withdrawal of Alex de Minaur.
Djokovic was set to play his quarter-final against de Minaur on Centre Court, two days after a bizarre post-match speech directing some frustration at the crowd.
It appeared through the contest that some crowd members were chanting “Rune” in support of his opponent, who was largely flat in an underwhelming display.
But the world No 2 claimed afterwards in his on-court interview that he felt he was being booed at points.
“Well, to all the fans that had respect and stayed here tonight thank you very much from the bottom of my heart, I appreciate it,” he said.
“And to all those people that have chosen to disrespect the player, in this case, me, have a good night. Good night, good night. Very good night.”
Djokovic’s reaction to the crowd has stirred huge debate, and among those to question his assertion of booing is Ljubicic.
The Croatian, a former major semi-finalist and most recently coach of Roger Federer, praised Djokovic’s performance – but said there was no “logic” behind the complaints.
Speaking to Sky Sports Italia, he said: “I’ve heard Rune fans celebrate like this before.
“If they did it to annoy Nole, it’s something they’ve already done. So I don’t know. I’ve seen a lot of people try to distract Nole in many different ways.
“This is an original way, because I don’t see any logic in celebrating with a boo when a player scores a point. But he interpreted it like this, using this thing to have more concentration.
“But we have to talk about his match, that’s what I think needs to be told. Perfect tennis. If this was a test to understand the condition of his body, we can absolutely say that Novak is there.”
After three full days off following his quarter-final walkover, Djokovic will return to action on Friday, in his semi-final against Lorenzo Musetti.
The Italian, 25th seed at the Championships, beat Djokovic in Monte Carlo in 2023 and pushed the Serbian to five sets at Roland Garros this year.
However, there can be no denying the world No 2 is a massive favourite to reach the final, where he would hypothetically face third seed Carlos Alcaraz or fifth seed Daniil Medvedev.
Read More
Novak Djokovic pays tribute to wife Jelena on their ten-year wedding anniversary
Persistent Novak Djokovic critic Adriano Panatta’s most controversial quotes about the tennis great
