Novak Djokovic gives six-word reply to Wimbledon boo boys before Alcaraz clash

Novak Djokovic gave a six-word response to the Wimbledon boo boys after the world No 2 was once again given the cold shoulder on Centre Court during his semi-final victory over Jannik Sinner.

The Serb was at his imperious best on Friday, defeating Jannik Sinner in straight sets with minimum fuss. Later on, Carlos Alcaraz did likewise to Daniil Medvedev to set up a mouthwatering final on Sunday.

Unlike Alcaraz, the Wimbledon crowd have largely been supporting Djokovic’s opponents throughout the tournament. Despite holding the record for the most Grand Slam titles of all time in the men’s game, the adulation that is bestowed on Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer continues to evade Djokovic.

There has already been one incident this tournament that sparked a reaction from Djokovic, with the Serb cupping his ear and screaming towards a section of the crowd during his second-round victory over Jordan Thompson.

And there was repeat on Friday as Djokovic took his frustration out on the pro-Sinner crowd after saving two crucial break points in the third set. After staring down some fans and cupping his ears, a large section of the crowd started booing the defending Wimbledon champion before he mockingly pretended to cry.

But he has now played down the incident, insisting in his post-match press conference: “It’s all love, love and acceptance.” Another flashpoint during the match was the umpire’s contentious decision to hand Sinner a point after making a hindrance call against the Serb.

Djokovic was furious at the time and pleaded his innocence before admitting it had left him feeling ‘nervous’. He reinforced his position on the call once again during his press conference, adding: “First of all, I have to accept the decision from a chair umpire. That’s it. It was quite a close call, I must say. I mean, it has never happened to me. I’ve never had a hindrance call for an extended grunt.

“I saw the replay. I saw that my grunt finished before he hit the shot. So I thought that chair umpire’s call was not correct. I mean, my opinion. Again, you have to accept it.”

Meanwhile, Djokovic has also insisted that Alcaraz will present the ‘toughest’ challenge out there for him right now ahead of the hugely anticipated final. On the young Spaniard, he said: “He’s so young, but he’s incredibly consistent now, also on grass. Which I don’t think many people expected him to play so well because his game is basically, yeah, built and constructed and developed for clay mostly or slower hard courts. But he’s been incredibly successful in adapting to the surfaces and demands and challenges of opponents on a given day.

“I see this as a great trait, as a great virtue. I see this as one of my biggest strengths throughout my career, that I was able to constantly develop, adapt, and adjust my game depending on the challenges basically. That’s what he’s doing very early on in his career. Kudos to him. Amazing player. Great guy also off the court. He carries himself very, very well. He respects the history of the sport, respects everyone. No bad words about him at all.”

He continued: “I think, judging by the performances that we have seen from all the players, I think this is probably the best finals that we could have. We are both in good form. We’re both playing well. I guess I want to take this title without a doubt. I look forward to it. It’s going to be a great challenge, greatest challenge that I could have at the moment from any angle really: physical, mental, emotional. He’s one of the quickest guys on the tour. He can do pretty much anything on the court. I consider myself also very complete player.

“We had a very good match until he started struggling physically in Paris. I think we really took the level of tennis very high. I think was great for the audience and great for us players to be part of that. Obviously completely different conditions here. Grass is massively different from clay.

“Yes, I do have more experience playing in many more Grand Slam or Wimbledon finals than him. Still he’s in great shape. He’s very motivated. He’s young. He’s hungry. I’m hungry, too, so let’s have a feast (smiling).”