As the 2022 tennis season drew to a close in cold indoor stadiums across Europe, Novak Djokovic found himself in an unusual position. In the Paris Masters final that November, Djokovic’s high level of play would have typically secured him a win against many opponents. However, his adversary that night was exceptional. A fearless 19-year-old, Holger Rune, defeated Djokovic to claim his first Masters 1000 title.
However, maintaining high-level performance consistently over time is far harder than occasional flashes of brilliance. Two years after their memorable encounter, Rune hasn’t progressed as much as expected, resulting in a rather one-sided match this time. Under the Centre Court roof on Monday evening, a dominant Djokovic returned to the quarter-finals of Wimbledon, comfortably defeating Rune 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 and silencing the crowd.
The match was notable for the crowd’s cheers, which sounded similar to booing as they chanted “Ruuuune” throughout the evening. After his victory, Djokovic acknowledged the respectful parts of the crowd while criticizing those he felt disrespected him. When the on-court interviewer suggested that fans may have been supporting Rune rather than disrespecting him, Djokovic said:
“They were, I don’t accept it,” he said. “No. I know they were cheering for Rune but that’s an excuse to also boo. Listen, I’ve been on the tour for more than 20 years, so trust me, I know all the tricks. I know how it works. It’s fine, it’s OK. I focus on the respectful people, who have respect, that paid the ticket to come and watch tonight, and love tennis and appreciate the effort that the players put in here. I’ve played in a much more hostile environment, trust me. You guys can’t touch me.”
Djokovic’s win marks his 15th career quarter-final at Wimbledon and his 60th major quarter-final. Considering his recent surgery on a torn medial meniscus just 26 days before Wimbledon began, his remarkable progress is noteworthy. Despite initial doubts about his participation, especially with the Olympics looming, Djokovic continues to defeat quality players and remains a title contender.
Between his breakthrough win over Djokovic in Paris and his rise to a top-four ranking last year, Rune seemed poised to be the next young player to break through after Carlos Alcaraz. But tennis is challenging. While Alcaraz has continued to rise and Jannik Sinner has stepped up, Rune has faced difficulties. His lack of confidence was evident in his first service game, where he lost serve and trailed 2-0 after numerous errors. Djokovic dominated the first 12 points of the match.
Throughout the match, Djokovic served efficiently, controlled most baseline exchanges, and varied his shots to keep Rune guessing. As the crowd’s noise grew louder, Djokovic gestured towards some audience members. Yet, he remained focused and solid as he closed out the win.
“To all the fans that have respect and stayed here tonight, thank you from the bottom of my heart, I appreciate it,” Djokovic said. “And to all the fans who have chosen to disrespect me, have a gooood night,” he added, referencing the “Rune” chants.
In response, Rune didn’t see the crowd’s behavior as an issue, citing similar chants during their 2021 meeting. “If you don’t know what was happening, probably it sounded like ‘boo’. But if we all know what happened, it was my name. Obviously he’s played so many matches since he played me last time. If he didn’t remember, it could probably sound different for him. I don’t think it played a massive part in the match,” Rune said.
Djokovic will next face ninth seed Alex de Minaur in his 60th quarter-final on Wednesday. Earlier, De Minaur defeated Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Despite an injury scare at the end of the match, De Minaur later confirmed he was okay. Additionally, 13th seed Taylor Fritz continued his impressive form, staging a spectacular comeback from two sets down to defeat fourth seed Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 6-3.