Novak Djokovic has escalated his row with Wimbledon spectators by taking another swipe at them on social media, less than 24 hours after a tense exchange on Centre Court. The Serbian star grew visibly agitated with the crowd on Monday evening as they repeatedly chanted 'Wuuuuu' in support of his opponent, Chinese qualifier Yibing Wu.
Djokovic's Defiant Gesture
Djokovic was leading by two sets to one and into the fourth set when he found himself under pressure. The vociferous crowd, eager to see a thrilling five-set contest, rallied behind Wu. Yet when Djokovic held his serve to move 5-4 ahead, he responded defiantly, cupping his hand to his ear. The lukewarm reception from the Wimbledon faithful was clearly still playing on his mind by Tuesday lunchtime.
He took to X to post: "Full moon in the sky. Wolf energy on the court. Woooooooo to round." The post appeared to mock the crowd's chants, which Djokovic had earlier misinterpreted as booing during the match.
Match Victory and Post-Match Comments
Djokovic sealed the match 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 and went on to explain why he had found it such a tough encounter against the world No. 99, who was making only his second appearance at Wimbledon. "Challenging in terms of the level of performance and the tennis of Wu Yibing," Djokovic said. "I never faced him before. I did my analysis. I looked at some of the matches he played prior to Wimbledon."
He added: "I think he just won one match, lost very early, also in challengers, other tournaments that he played as a lead-up. I mean, I started well, and I liked my chances to maybe win in straights. He just took the tennis to a different level that was really impressive."
Djokovic Praises Wu's Performance
Djokovic praised Wu's aggressive play, saying: "Serving, returning like incredibly deep and strong and fast shots that he played from both ends of the court and from the baseline, backhand and forehand. At one point, there was no weakness really."
He acknowledged his own dip in level: "Of course, I dropped my level, but that's also due to his consistency and just great, great attacking, aggressive tennis. I was really hanging on the ropes in the fourth. I mean, I probably should have lost that set, to be honest, with the opportunities he had."
Lucky Escape and Digging Deep
Djokovic admitted he was fortunate: "I guess I managed to find the right serve at the right time. I was lucky he missed the overhead in the fourth. The match was toe-to-toe, honestly. One or two shots, one or two points decided the winner."
He concluded: "I'm glad I managed to fight and stay focused till the end. It's one of these matches that we have to dig deep."
The incident adds to Djokovic's history of tense interactions with crowds at major tournaments, including at the US Open and Australian Open.
