"That helps him, he gets angrier": Henman and Wilander warns crowd amid Djokovic reaction to booing

ATP
Friday, 02 June 2023 at 22:30
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Novak Djokovic played a very heated clash with Davidovich Fokina in the 3rd round of Roland Garros (French Open) and he clashed with the crowd during it.
The Serbian has clashed with crowds in the past and it's not something that's too strange for him. This time around it came after he heavily celebrated winning the second set which came after he heard some minor booes coming from the stands. The celebration caused even more booes to come his way and it continued as he took a medical timeout between set 2 and 3 as well. He played a lot more focused after that which former player Mats Wilander attributes to booeing.

Booeing fuels him

Wilander explained that Djokovic is fueled when the crowd booes him and it certainly looked that way in this match. The former player and Eurosport analyst explained:
"If the people that are here, that sort of wanna see a close match or they sometimes even boo someone like Novak Djokovic because they wanna see a longer match. They're doing him a favour because he gets more fired up when they're against him and they're showing the support for the other guy. And it's understandable they want Davidovich Fokina to win a set because they want Novak to play more. They shouldn't boo him because that helps him, it really does. And he'll find a reason to get upset or angry in a positive way and they're just making it easier for him."
Fello analyst Tim Henman confiremd what Wilander said by adding that Djokovic enjoys that confrontational energy with the crowd. He's played much of his career in those types of situations so it's natural to him. He learned how to use it for his own benefit rather then a thing that will impact him negatively.

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