Advertisement

'Shut the f*** up': Djokovic in fiery run-in with Wimbledon crowd

Not everything went Novak Djokovic’s way in the Wimbledon final, and tensions boiled over in a tense third set.

Djokovic broke a two-year major drought with a tense win over spirited South African Kevin Anderson on Sunday.

The Serbian secured his fourth crown at The All England Club – and 13th career major – with a 6-2 6-2 7-6 (7-3) win that was much less straightforward than the lopsided scoreline suggests.

Anderson pushed Djokovic to a tiebreak in the third set, and the Serb started to feel the pressure.

LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 15: Novak Djokovic of Serbia gestures during the Men’s Singles final against Kevin Anderson of South Africa on day thirteen of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 15, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 15: Novak Djokovic of Serbia gestures during the Men’s Singles final against Kevin Anderson of South Africa on day thirteen of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 15, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Anderson managed to conjure two set points with Djokovic serving at 4-5, with tensions reaching boiling point after the Serb saved the first in one of the wildest rallies of the match.

Sensing a Djokovic forehand was going long to allow Anderson back into the contest, the excited crowd burst into cheers, only for the ball to catch the line and the South African to lose the point after slipping over.

Livid by the disturbance, Djokovic demanded chair umpire James Keothavong tell spectators to “shut the f*** up”, as you can see in the video above.

He retained his cool to fend off three more set points before taking victory in a tiebreaker.

Djokovic eventually reigned supreme after two hours and 19 minutes to surpass the Wimbledon feats of all-time greats and three-time champions John Newcombe, John McEnroe and the Serb’s one-time coach Boris Becker.

Sunday’s victory also elevated the 31-year-old above Australian Roy Emerson into fourth place on men’s tennis’s all-time grand slam title leaderboard behind only Roger Federer (20), Rafal Nadal (17) and Pete Sampras (14).

The big three of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have now amassed a staggering 50 slams between them to cement themselves as arguably the most dominant triumvirate in sports history.

with AAP