"I hated it, he doesn't deserve this": John McEnroe strongly defends Novak Djokovic after Wimbledon booing drama
ATP
John McEnroe launched a scathing attack on the fans on Centre Court after the drama that took place last night during Novak Djokovic's win over Holger Rune at Wimbledon.
McEnroe said that Djokovic doesn't deserve this just for being a winner. He said he is too great for the game and that he didn't need to return when he did so soon after surgery but did so for the good of the tournament and is now having it thrown back in his face.
He called him also Darth Vader in comparison to Nadal and Federer and that he came in and broke up the party and now gets hate for it. This after Djokovic launched into an attack on the crowd for perceiving to boo instead of what was said supposedly which was Ruuuune and his now viral quote of him saying 'have a goooood night'.
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“He’s been battling this for his whole career. Yes he feeds off negative energy. And yes I did feed off that at times. But I hated it in a way. Do you want people yelling against you hoping you’ll lose? Just because you’re so good they start pulling for the other guy for no reason other than you’re so good. That’s the reason people go against him in my opinion," said McEnroe on BBC.
"He’s like the Darth Vader compared to… look, there’s two of the greatest class acts we’ve ever seen play tennis. Rafa Nadal & Roger Federer. Who can compare to them in terms of what they brought to the table and the way people love them? Nobody. And then this guy Djokovic has the nerve to come in and break into the party….”
Clare Balding, a presenter for BBC furthered the argument and said: "And win more Grand Slams than them."
“Exactly. So then it’s like ‘How about respecting me after all this?’ Think about this… here’s a guy who had surgery a month ago. The odds are were 10 or 20% that he’d even play this tournament. He’s thinking ‘I’m helping this tournament.’ Which he is. ‘Why don’t I get some love when I’m playing a guy who’s 15 in the world?’" continued McEnroe.
"Who hasn’t done a damn thing compared to him. Yes there were maybe a handful of Danish people going ‘Rune’ and I get that people want to see a good match. We all wanna see a good match. But you have to respect the greatness that you see. It’s easy to be the backseat driver and let it go. But this is what he’s been dealing with for 10, 15, 20 years that people have been doing this. I admire the guts that he had to say it there. That takes something. That’s in a way gonna put more people against him. He doesn’t deserve that at this stage. We need him and he’s been too great for our game in my opinion.”

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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