Novak Djokovic was fuming at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The No. 2 seed at the U.S. Open was incensed when a fan yelled “Out!” during a live volley with American Taylor Fritz, causing him to lose focus and the point.
Djokovic appeared to shout at someone in his own box as the outburst caused him to cede the breakpoint and eventually the game.
The Serbian star held on to defeat the No. 9 seed 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 — after asking the fan in question be removed.
“He was actually in the box where some of my friends were. I don’t know who the guy was; but yeah, I was pretty annoyed by him at that point. I was communicating with my friends to have a little chat with him,” Djokovic laughed.
“I’m actually glad the crowd wants to get into it, because it means the match is interesting, that they want to be part of it, that they’re having fun. At the end of the day, they pay to come and watch you play, so we try to put on a show. … Sometimes [they] might have an interaction with the player, like this guy. I’m sorry for him, but he was really annoying at that point.”
Novak Djokovic was incensed after someone yelled ‘Out!’ during a live play against Taylor Fritz. ESPNIf Djokovic held any ill-will toward the crowd, he didn’t show it, leading fans in an impromptu rendition of the Beastie Boys’ “Fight For Your Right” during his on-court interview.
“It’s expected, of course, that people are backing the home player. And there’s nothing wrong with that,” Djokovic said. “I actually like the energy, like the atmosphere on center court here … people are getting into it.”
It’s not the first case of fans getting unruly during the tournament.
During the Monday night session, a fan was kicked out of Ashe for reportedly yelling a Hitler phrase at German-born Alexander Zverev.
“He started singing the anthem of Hitler that was back in the day. It was ‘Deutschland über alles’ and it was a bit too much,” Zverev said.
“I think he was getting involved in the match for a long time, though. I don’t mind it, I love when fans are loud, I love when fans are emotional. But I think me being German and not really proud of that history, it’s not really a great thing to do and I think him sitting in one of the front rows, I think a lot of people heard it.
Djokovic angrily turned toward the crowd after he lost the point. ESPN“So if I just don’t react, I think it’s bad from my side.”
Djokovic will next face either Np. 10 seed Frances Tiafoe or Ben Shelton in the semifinal.
