NOVAK DJOKOVIC was booed again by the Wimbledon crowd – as they misinterpreted his touching celebration.
The Serbian superstar, 37, booked his place in a tenth final at the All England Club.
He despatched the tattooed flamboyant Italian Lorenzo Musetti 6-4 7-6 6-4 on Centre Court.
And after securing a mouthwatering rematch with Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s final, Djokovic walked back into the middle of the famous grass to celebrate.
He put his racquet to his chin and held out the handle before pretending to play the violin.
That is a lovely nod to his daughter Tara, six, who has started learning the musical instrument.
However, some fans inside the 15,000-seater stadium thought he was mocking them after the antics of Monday night, when Djokovic believed he was being booed by Holger Rune fans before slamming the crowd.
Djokovic said: “To all those people that have chosen to disrespect play and one player, in this case me, have a GOOOD-night. A GOOOD-night. A very goodnight.
“Listen, I have been on the Tour for more than 20 years. So trust me, I know all the tricks, I know how it works.
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“I’ve played in much more hostile environments, trust me. You guys can’t touch me.”
So when Djokovic ‘played’ the violin tonight, a few spectators booed him – although it was unclear if the reaction was genuine or sarcastic.
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Either way, Djokovic appeared to take it in good spirits and laughed before putting his thumb and seemingly smiled sincerely as he walked back to his chair.
However, tennis viewers watching the BBC coverage from home hit out at the “idiots” for their behaviour.
One said: “Why did people boo Djokovic just then? Stupid idiots – the violin mime was for his daughter, not the spectators.”
Another wrote: “Anyone who hates on Djokovic is an idiot…”
A third added: “Novak Djokovic just shup up all the haters after that, the boos, the people chanting, the one who shouted as he served. The thing that people hate is that he has a bit of personality and is not afraid to give it back to them. Massive respect.”
And a fourth replied: “Djokovic won’t make me like him by being a dick to the Wimbledon crowd but keep going Novak.”
On BBC commentary, even John McEnroe could not believe his ears.
The outspoken American – a three-time Wimbledon singles champion – said: “Why are people booing?”
Djokovic had a largely uneventful match against Musetti, with the thrilling tennis enough entertainment.
However, one heckler shouted out during a key point towards the end – prompting a frustrated reaction and an angry glare from Djokovic.
But he made no mistake closing out the match to set up the Alcaraz showdown – which the Spaniard will be desperate finishes in time for him to watch the Euro 2024 final.
Alcaraz was jokingly booed by the Centre Court crowd earlier on when he said Sunday would be a “good day” for Spanish people – before quickly backtracking in hilarious scenes as he desperately tried to avoid upsetting the English crowd before Sunday night’s Berlin blockbuster.
The Wimbledon crowd jeered his answer as laughter broke out around the 15,000-seater stadium and a beaming Alcaraz adding: “I didn’t say Spain was going to win. I’m just saying it is going to be a really fun day!”
PRIZE MONEY for the 2024 Wimbledon Championships is a new record – and puts the grass-court Slam at the top of the tree.
The All England Club will dish out £50million across all the events – an increase of £5.3m and 11.9 per cent on last year, where singles champions Carlos Alcaraz and Marketa Vondrousova picked up £2.35m each.
However, the king and queen of grass this July will collect an extra £350,000 – taking the winner’s earnings to £2.7m.
Here is the breakdown for the 2024 Wimbledon singles prize money:
