These people should be ashamed of themselves.
The crowd in Melbourne, Australia, wasn’t friendly Friday morning to legendary tennis star Novak Djokovic.
On a mission to win a 25th grand slam, which would extend his record, Djokovic only made it through one set in his semifinal match and had to withdraw from the Australian Open due to suffering a torn muscle in his left leg.
As a result of Djokovic’s withdrawal, Alexander Zverev advanced to the final Sunday against Jannik Sinner, but fans weren’t having it. As Djokovic was walking off the court into the locker room, conceding the match to Zverev, a load of fans in attendance slammed him with boos. (RELATED: Ben Shelton Rips Australian Open Media For ‘Embarrassing And Disrespectful’ Comments To Americans)
But Djokovic handled everything perfectly, stopping and turning around to give the booing crowd not one, but two thumbs up.
Zverev came to the defense of Djokovic during his on-court interview, saying he was disappointed with the booing from fans.
“Don’t boo a player when he goes out with injury. I know that everybody paid for tickets and everybody wants to see a great five-set match, but you gotta understand Novak Djokovic is somebody that has given this sport for the past 20 years absolutely everything of his life. He has won this tournament with an abdominal tear. He has won this tournament with a hamstring tear. If he can’t continue a tennis match, it really means he can’t continue a tennis match. So, please be respectful.”
The fans likely felt the need to boo because they spent hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars, on tickets to only see one set out of 3-5 sets. Only one hour and some change of tennis rather than 3-5. But honestly, they can suck it up, that’s the risk of being a spectator of the sport.
WATCH:
Not how we wanted your campaign to end, @djokernole.
Thank you for another wonderful Australian summer. Well played and best wishes for a speedy recovery.#AO2025 pic.twitter.com/d5VJ6YNBeN
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 24, 2025
What a crazy tournament for Djokovic.
I mean, damn, this whole thing comes after his tension with the press over there in Australia.
A few words about what happened on court. pic.twitter.com/jRof2npiwH
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) January 19, 2025
If I was an Australian, I’d be embarrassed. Not only is Djokovic getting hounded by your nation’s press, but he’s also getting booed by your fans. With the media story, you could’ve let it slide, but the booing after an injury?
A truly shameful display.
