Novak Djokovic booed for ‘disrespecting’ Rafael Nadal with rude Olympic gesture
Novak Djokovic booed for ‘disrespecting’ Rafael Nadal with rude Olympic gesture
Novak Djokovic was left fuming as the crowd turned against him (Picture: Getty)
Novak Djokovic faced booing from the Roland-Garros crowd as he ‘disrespected’ Rafael Nadal with a rude gesture at the Paris Olympics.
Djokovic produced a 6-1 6-4 win over Nadal on Monday in the latest instalment of their rivalry and things got heated towards the end of their showdown.
The Serbian dominated the first set – and it looked like he was going to wrap things up quickly – after then winning four games in a row to lead 6-1 4-0.
The crowd were backing Nadal from the start, given he is adored in Paris for his incredible French Open legacy, but their support became louder and more passionate as they grew desperate to watch a genuinely competitive match.
The outpouring of love to Nadal gave the Spaniard a huge boost as he won four games in a row himself to level things up at 4-4 in the second set – which saw spectators loudly cheering as the clash became far less of a one-sided contest.
But it only seemed to infuriate Djokovic, who has never received the same love as Nadal across the ATP Tour, even at the Australian Open where he has famously dominated, or at Wimbledon, where he’s now been booed two years in a row.
After Nadal made it 4-4, Djokovic secured a crucial break in the ninth game of the second set, which gave him the opportunity to serve out for the victory.
Novak Djokovic pointed to his ear after securing a late break (Picture: @TheTennisLetter)
Having secured that important point, which eventually saw him go on to win in straight sets, Djokovic turned to the crowd and stuck his fingers to his ears.
The packed Philippe Chatrier stadium responded to that with a chorus of boos and fans have taken to social media to slam Djokovic for his ‘classless’ act, especially considering Nadal entered the clash as a huge injury doubt.
‘Take your hand off your ear and be respectful to a legend,’ @SuveykeYusuf posted on X. ‘Be humble.’
‘What’s he so mad about?’ @12SkiptomyLou added. ‘He resents the public over cheering for a guy that’s semi-retired and has won 14 times at RG? That’s insecure as heck.’
‘This is so sad,’ @Nina201710 said. ‘Why does he need validation like this when he has everything!
‘That crowd doesn’t like him. Just win with dignity, man. Let the win be enough. You’re not getting anything else.’
Rafael Nadal will now focus on the doubles with Carlos Alcaraz
‘This is exactly why people don’t like him!’ @Claude_DM posted. ‘Rafa was going to be an easy win for him! Be the bigger person and show some class! Unfortunately he doesn’t have any!’
‘Absolutely classless move, given that this was likely Rafa’s last singles match on Chatrier,’
