Novak Djokovic has a wry smile after getting ‘unfairly’ booed by the Parisian crowd when he left the court following 2nd set loss against Holger Rune

Serbian ace Novak Djokovic beat defending champion Holger Rune in what looked like a rematch of the 2022 Paris Masters Finals.

Novak Djokovic has a wry smile after getting ‘unfairly’ booed by the Parisian crowd when he left the court following 2nd set loss against Holger Rune

Novak Djokovic (Image via: X/@TheTennisLetter)

US Open champion Novak Djokovic faced defending champion and sixth seed Holger Rune in the quarterfinals of the ongoing Paris Masters 2023. Though the Serb claimed the first set, winning 7 games out of 12, Rune leveled up in his form to beat Djokovic in the second set. As Djokovic began leaving the court following his loss, the crowd started booing.

With that being said, it seems like the Serb is clearly not a crowd favorite for the title. In his quarter-final round match, Djokovic was standing on a court surrounded by booing Parisians.

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Unlike his previous match, when Djokovic applauded and gestured at the crowds to jeer at him even louder, this time around, the Serb laughed off the masses and left the court after giving them a derisive smile. In the following set, Djokovic made an epic comeback, committing only one forced error in the entire set.

The 36-year-old claimed a ticket to the semi-final round with a 7-5, 6-7, 6-4 win over the 2022 champion. The player will face off against fifth seed Andrey Rublev at 5:00 p.m. local time in the semi-finals of the ATP 1000 event.

Novak Djokovic tackles criticism following close win over Holger Rune

Serbian ace was met with criticism as reports claimed the 36-year-old was “forcing himself to play” at the ongoing Masters event in Paris. Djokovic, however, denied all such statements.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Image via: FirstSportz)

The Serb said: 

If I wasn't ready, I wouldn't be there...When you're dedicated, you have the reward. I'm still hungry so ready for more.

As per the tennis legend himself, he is fit to play the ongoing ATP event and stated that he was “born ready”.

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