- Djokovic defeated the young Dane 7-5 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 at the Accor Arena in Paris
- The Serbian tangled dangerously with the chair umpire over a call of Rune’s
- Last year Rune beat Djokovic in the finalto claim his first Paris Masters title
Novak Djokovic was booed off court after defeating Holger Rune to progress to the semi-finals of the Paris Masters in Bercy.
The US Open champion has long cut a divisive figure in the sport, but tensions were brought to a head in the French capital on the second night in a row a passionate crowd turned against the Serbian behemoth.
Djokovic’s three-set dispatch of the Danish youngster was not without controversy itself – with the six-time champion drawing the ire of the crowd over an umpire’s call.
With Djokovic on serve and three points from taking the match in the second set, the world No 1 was subject to a late out call from his opponent, after he had struck his return of serve.
The timing of the challenge incensed the Serbian, who made for the umpire and decried Rune’s form – despite a later Hawkeye review confirming that his serve had fallen beyond the line.
Novak Djokovic was booed off court following his three-set defeat of Danish Holger Rune
The world No 1 found himself in an angry tangle with the chair umpire Renaud Lichtenstein
The Serbian ended up beating the 20-year-old 7-5 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 at the Accor Arena in Paris
‘He played the shot, he saw it went out and then he challenged,’ the 36-year-old told chair official Renaud Lichtenstein, and asked for a supervisor to be called to intervene.
‘The supervisor cannot be called Novak, that’s my judgement. The judgement, it’s my judgement,’ Lichtenstein responded as boos began to ring out from around the Accor Arena.
As their argument continued, Djokovic turned the air blue, protesting: ‘That ball landed on the court 0.4 seconds, you’re telling me you figured out. That’s bulls***!’
After returning to the baseline, Djokovic won the ensuing point, but a strong performance from Rune saw the 20-year-old cling on to force a tiebreak, and an eventual third set.
Djokovic provoked similarly high emotion amongst the Parisian crowd later in the clash after going from an extended bathroom break.
But upon hearing the boos on Centre Court, the player chose a tight-lipped smirk by way of response.
The US Open champion is vying to win his seventh Paris Masters ahead of the ATP Finals
Under the watchful eye of his new coach Boris Becker, Rune was unable to see out a win after defeating Djokovic in the same competition in 2022
Against Tallon Griekspoor in their round-of-16 tie on Thursday evening, Djokovic harnessed the power of the crowd’s dislike, winning eight back-to-back points after a round of booing to set up his three-set victory.
But Djokovic kept his cards close to his chest, instead choosing to praise the ‘special’ nature of a trip to Paris – as evidenced in the rowdiness of the city’s grand slam Roland Garros – in his post-match interview.
‘I think I didn’t do anything to provoke the public, absolutely anything,’ Djokovic said. ‘(Special), that’s a good word, very special, yeah. Very, very special. It’s very special.’