They wouldn't let me serve, so it annoyed me," Djokovic's explanation of his anger toward the US Open crowd
During his quarterfinal win against Taylor Fritz, Novak Djokovic was targeted by the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd.
Bothered by the noise from the crowd cheering for his opponent, the former world No. 1 complained to the chair umpire in the third set. He reflected on that moment in comments shared by Sportklub:
"I was criticizing the chair umpire for letting too many things slide. At one point, it was between every serve: cheers, applause, interruptions… They wouldn't let me serve. So it annoyed me. Of course, I expected people to be on his side—he’s an American and the country’s best player—but I think at certain moments they crossed the line.
That’s why I asked the umpire if he was going to say something concrete or just 'Thank you, don’t do that.' When he reacted, it changed things. We don’t put pressure on umpires for our own pleasure, but in those moments, the chair umpire has to recognize that the line of respect has been crossed, step in, and say something.
After that, the energy in the stadium immediately changed. People stopped cheering at the wrong times, and I think from that point on it was better for both players.
