Holger Rune has pointed out that Wimbledon fans were chanting his name rather than booing Novak Djokovic in his defeat by the Serb on Monday. Djokovic mistook shouts of ‘Rune’ for boos on Centre Court as he advanced to the quarter-final.
The seven-time Wimbledon champion claimed that fans were being ‘disrespectful’ and were simply using Rune’s name as an opportunity to boo. However, Rune has claimed that the chant has been ongoing at many of his matches since he was a teenager.
He insisted that Djokovic would have heard the shout before, particularly when they met at the US Open when the Danish star was only 18.
“It all started in the US Open the first time we played each other when I was 18 or something. They were shouting my name, Rune. It sounded a little bit like ‘boo’,” Rune said.
“We played each other many more times, but more in like Italy and France, where they don’t pronounce my name the same way. Now we’re in England.
“Yeah, I mean, if you don’t know what was happening, probably it sounded like ‘boo’. But if we all know what happened, it was my name.
“Obviously he’s played so many matches since he played me last time. If he didn’t remember, it could probably sound different for him. I don’t think it played a massive part in the match.
“He was just better than me today. Whether the crowd was this or that, I think was great support for both players, to be honest. They were supporting him on good points. They were supporting me. Nice scenes out there on Centre Court.”
Djokovic claimed that shouting an elongated version of Rune’s surname was an excuse to boo. The 37-year-old insisted that the crowd were using a trick to get around actually booing.
“They were, I don’t accept it,” he said. “No. I know they were cheering for Rune but that’s an excuse to also boo. Listen, I’ve been on the tour for more than 20 years, so trust me, I know all the tricks.
“I know how it works. It’s fine, it’s OK. I focus on the respectful people, who have respect, that paid the ticket to come and watch tonight, and love tennis and appreciate the effort that the players put in here. I’ve played in a much more hostile environment, trust me. You guys can’t touch me.”
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