24 November 2023 , 00:02
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Novak Djokovic took aim at British tennis fans after beating Cam Norrie and sending Serbia into the semi-finals of the Davis Cup.
Just four days after winning his seventh ATP Nitto Finals title, Djokovic continued his stellar year by seeing off Norrie 6-4, 6-4 in Malaga. That clash followed Jack Draper losing 7-6, 7-6 to Miomir Kecmanovic, meaning the tie was finished without the need for a doubles decider on Friday.
But the 24-time Grand Slam champion was anything but jovial afterwards, having clearly been riled by the 5,000 British fans who made up a raucous atmosphere at the Palacio de Deportes Martin Carpena arena. Indeed, during the first set Djokovic regularly found himself subjected to the crowd shouting between serves, and made his feelings clear after taking the initiative.
He executed a forehand volley on set-point, and duly fired a glance in the direction of his hecklers before putting his hand to his ear. He reacted similarly when an ace later continued his incredible run in the Davis Cup, having now racked up 21 consecutive singles wins.
But the animosity didn't end there. In his post-match interview, British fans again piped up, jeering as the 36-year old tried to answer questions, prompting him to shout: "Learn how to respect players, learn how to respect people, you shut up, you be quiet."
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Despite only breaking Norrie twice, in reality Djokovic was comfortable throughout, and the margin of victory would have been great had he not wasted 10 of his 12 break point opportunities. Norrie in contrast, was only able to win eight points on his rival's serve.
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And it's not the first time a match between the pair has been plagued by controversy. In the Italian Open in May, Djokovic accused the British No.1 of not understanding "fair play" after he hammered a ball at him at the net.
Serbia will now face Italy after Jannik Sinner inspired them past the Netherlands earlier on Thursday afternoon. Britain meanwhile, will now need to qualify in 2024, followed by a round-robin stage, if they are to return next time around.
It's been a turbulent tie for Leon Smith, who lost both Andy Murray and Dan Evans in the build-up to injury. And his team were the only Davis Cup quarter-finalist not to win a singles match this week.