The long-lasting rivalry between Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic has taken a fresh turn after the Serbian took aim at British fans during the Davis Cup quarter-final. Serbia beat Great Britain 2-0 to advance to the semi-final, before losing 2-1 to Italy who made the final for the first time in 25 years.
Murray broke his silence on Djokovic’s actions after the Serbian told British fans to “shut up” during his post-match speech.
Djokovic felt as though the British fans were purposefully trying to annoy him while facing Cameron Norrie, and they continued to sing and make noise during his post-match winning speech. “Learn how to show respect to players,” Djokovic said, before later shouting “shut up”.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion then added: “Disrespect, but again, that’s something I’m kind of have to be prepared for. You know, in the Davis Cup, it’s normal that sometimes fans step over the line, but, you know, in the heat of the moment, you react too, and you, in a way, how can I say, show that you don’t allow this kind of behaviour.”
Murray reacted on X following Djokovic’s comments, and appeared to fire a dig in the direction of the Serbian as he thanked British fans for their support in Malaga, Spain. “Tough one for the guys in Malaga last night @DavisCup,” Murray wrote.
“Huge thanks to all the fans who made the big effort to travel out there and create a brilliant atmosphere for the player.” Murray then used a thumbs down emoji to describe what the Davis Cup would be without them in attendance.
Murray’s post came just weeks after he went against Djokovic again, but this time on Instagram. A video was posted of Djokovic hitting Roger Federer with a shot at the Shanghai Masters in 2014, and Murray brought up an incident where the Serbian wasn’t pleased to be on the receiving end.
“Totally legitimate play. Great shot,” Murray replied on Instagram. “However, when Rafa (Nadal) clocked him in Canada and Norrie in Rome he reacted like ‘how dare you?'” Murray and Djokovic have a healthy rivalry, one that the Serbian finds “special” after sharing some epic battles with the former Wimbledon champion.
Back in 2022, Djokovic reflected on his career against Murray, and said on Tennis Channel: “Well Andy first of all is a great champion, someone I admire a lot, someone I respect a lot. We had some great encounters over the years on all different surfaces, we played finals of every Grand Slam.”
“I mean he’s definitely next to, next to Rafa and Roger, the greatest rival I ever had and I think there is something special to our rivalry, the fact that we are the same age.” British fans will never forget when Murray finally won Wimbledon, beating Djokovic in straight sets back in 2012.