Novak Djokovic rips fans at French Open who 'boo every single thing'
Djokovic will face Juan Pablo Varillas in the next round Sunday
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tennis star Novak Djokovic has made it clear he routinely will use negativity from a variety of places as motivation.
Whether the negativity comes from the fans, the umpire or a perceived lack of support from his friends and coaches in the stands, the No. 3 player in the world will look for almost anything to fuel him.
Djokovic is facing criticism after a comment he wrote about the clashes in northern Kosovo following a first-round victory at the French Open.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He's also not pleased with how he's generally being treated by spectators.
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Novak Djokovic of Serbia against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain during men's singles third-round play at the 2023 French Open at Roland Garros June 2, 2023, in Paris. (Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
During Djokovic’s 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory over 29th-seeded Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third-round at Roland Garros, some fans seemed to jeer him for no apparent reason throughout the match.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The match lasted 3 hours and 36 minutes. Aside from double-faulting three times in a single game, Djokovic seemed particularly annoyed by the feedback coming from a portion of the fans.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts during a men's singles first-round match against Aleksandar Kovacevic at the French Open at Roland Garros in Paris May 29, 2023. (Gao Jing/Xinhua via Getty Images)
"A majority of the people comes to enjoy tennis or support one or the other player. But they are individuals. There are people — there are groups or whatever — that love to boo every single thing you do. That’s something that I find disrespectful, and I frankly don’t understand that," Djokovic said later at his news conference.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"But it’s their right. They paid the ticket. They can do whatever they want."
After being two points from dropping the second set, trailing 5-4 in that tiebreaker, Djokovic grabbed control. He took the next three points, each of which ended with an error by Davidovich Fokina.
Then, after winning the set, Djokovic took a couple of steps toward the sideline, before reacting by punching the air, spinning around, throwing an uppercut, holding his right fist aloft and roaring.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Novak Djokovic of Serbia against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain during a men's singles third-round match at the 2023 French Open at Roland Garros June 2, 2023, in Paris. (Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
That drew some jeers from some in the crowd. Fans got even more testy when the chair umpire announced Djokovic was taking a medical timeout while a trainer massaged his upper left leg.
Sitting in his chair with his shirt off and a white towel around his shoulders, Djokovic heard it all and responded with gestures. He waved a hand, as if to say, "Give me more!"
And he gave a sarcastic thumbs-up and nodded. He applauded. He shook his head and chuckled.
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"At times, you know, I will stay quiet. Not ‘at times’ — actually, 99% of the time, I will stay quiet," said Djokovic, who won the French Open in 2016 and 2021. "Sometimes, I will oppose that because I feel when somebody is disrespectful, he or she deserves to have an answer to that. That’s what it is all about."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.