Novak Djokovic is no longer a fan favorite at the All England Club.
A single mention of the world No. 2’s name at Wimbledon on Wednesday showed he’s quickly become the most hated man in the draw.
Djokovic came under fire from a hostile crowd in the wake of Italian Lorenzo Musetti booking a semifinal showdown against the Serbian after defeating Taylor Fritz in a five-set thriller.
The 25th-seeded star was left in disbelief after the victory which secured him his first ever Wimbledon semifinal berth.
“I have no words,” he said. “It’s tough to speak but I’ll try my best. I think I haven’t realized yet what I’ve done. Thanks to all the people and Italian crowd who are here to support.”
But it was when he was asked about his upcoming opponent that things took a turn.
As Djokovic’s name was mentioned, those in attendance quickly broke out into a loud chorus of boos.
“Yeah. He probably knows better than me the surface and the stadium for sure,” Musetti said as boos echoed around Center Court.
“I mean jokes aside he’s a legend especially – I mean everywhere but here in Wimbledon in the last years he made something really unthinkable for anything. I had the chance to play against him a lot of times so we know each other pretty well. I’ll try my best, I try to put my 100 percent effort and let’s see what’s going to happen.”
The moment quickly captured the attention of tennis fans with journalist Jose Morgado relaying the thoughts of most when he wrote: “Oh boy…”
Djokovic had the day off on Wednesday after his quarterfinal opponent, Alex De Minaur, had to withdraw after suffering an injury in the final moments of his previous match.
The bitter feud between the crowd and Djokovic kicked off following Djokovic’s Round of 16 victory over over Holger Rune when the 37-year-old blasted those in attendance for not showing him respect.
“To all the fans that have had respect and stayed here tonight, I thank you from the bottom of my heart and I appreciate it,” said an angry Djokovic.
“And to all those people that have chosen to disrespect the player — in this case me — have a goooooooood night,” he added, mocking his tormentors.
When told by the TV interviewer that some fans were shouting “Rune” rather than booing, Djokovic hit back.
“They were. They were. I am not accepting it. No no no. I know they were cheering for Rune but that’s an excuse to also boo,” he said.
“Listen, I have been on the tour for more than 20 years. I know all the tricks. I focus on the respectful people that pay for the ticket, and love tennis and appreciate the players. I have played in much more hostile environments, trust me — you guys can’t touch me.”
The “booing” controversy reached new heights a day later when Djokovic stormed out of an interview with the BBC after being bombarded with questions.
Djokovic spoke to the BBC, but after three questions related to the incident, the seven-time winner had heard enough and decided politely to cut the chat short.
“I don’t regret by words or actions on the court,” Djokovic said. “Do you have any questions other than the crowd? I mean are you focused only on that or are there any questions about the match or is it solely focused on that? This is the third question already, I said what I had to say.”
Djokovic will front up to the hostile crowd when he takes on Musetti on Friday.