Novak Djokovic told a group of British fans to “shut up” as they tried to drown out his interview with musical instruments after their team was eliminated by Serbia in the Davis Cup.
Great Britain lost the quarter-final 2-0 as Cameron Norrie failed to inflict a rare defeat on the world number one.
“You should learn to show some respect,” Djokovic told fans.
Jack Draper was beaten 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (8-6) by Miomir Kecmanovic in the opening game of the best-of-three match.
This result meant Norrie had to beat 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic for the first time in his career.
But Djokovic showed his class as he cruised to a 6-4, 6-4 win to set Serbia up for the semi-final against Italy on Saturday.
After a confident and drama-free performance, Djokovic engaged in a heated exchange before his on-court interview, challenging the small number of British fans who act as the team’s band.
He had celebrated at the end of the first set by blowing a kiss to a British fan who was harassing him and also stuck his ear in her direction at the end of the game.
“It’s normal that fans sometimes cross the line and in the heat of the moment you also react and show in a way that you don’t allow such behavior,” Djokovic said.
“You can do whatever you want, but I will respond to it. That happened.”
“I was trying to talk and they deliberately started playing the drums so I wouldn’t talk and they tried to annoy me the whole game.”
Great Britain, which last won the Davis Cup in 2015, will not automatically qualify for the 2024 knockout rounds after their quarter-final exit in Malaga.
Unless they get a wild card, Leon Smith’s team will have to follow the same path as this year – a qualifier early next year, followed by the round-robin phase before the Final Eight.
Andy Murray, who missed the game through injury, said it had been a “tough affair” for his teammates and thanked the British fans – estimated to be almost half the crowd in the 11,500-capacity arena – for their support.
“A big thank you to all the fans who went to great lengths to travel there and create a great atmosphere for the players,” Murray said, adding that the Davis Cup wouldn’t be the same without them.
Djokovic takes another step towards another trophy
Despite being at the end of his career, the 36-year-old Djokovic’s powers show little sign of abating.
In another extraordinary season, Djokovic won the Australian Open, French Open and US Open titles. His only defeat at a major tournament came in the Wimbledon final against the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz.
On Sunday he further underlined his supremacy by capping the tour season with a record-equalling seventh title at the ATP Finals in Turin.
Now he wants to cap a spectacular year even by his standards by adding the Davis Cup to his enviable trophy haul.
Djokovic’s dominance this season – and the gap between him and most of his rivals – was made even clearer by a dominant performance against Norrie.
Norrie was in the top 20 in the world for three seasons in a row, but didn’t have the quality to really hurt Djokovic.
Djokovic took advantage of two of his twelve break point chances, while Norrie was only able to win eight points on the Serb’s serve.
After Jannik Sinner, number four in the world, Serbia now faces Italy inspired them to victory over the Netherlands earlier on Thursday.
Draper had the decisive moments in his hands in the first set
Jack Draper, who was consoled by Great Britain captain Leon Smith after his defeat, played only his second game for the nation
Considered one of the ATP Tour’s rising stars, Draper is still a novice when it comes to Davis Cup.
But the 21-year-old left-hander was under pressure and knew he would probably have to win his singles match if Britain wanted to progress – unless Norrie inflicted Djokovic their first Davis Cup singles defeat in 12 years.
Following injuries to Dan Evans and Andy Murray, Draper was the natural choice to open the game against Serbia, although he did not make his competitive debut until the round-robin phase in September.
With a thunderous serve and a confident forehand from the baseline, Draper’s strong form in recent weeks sees him ranked 60th in the world.
Injuries ruined his first eight months of the season, but a run of 17 wins from his 21 previous games before the Davis Cup clash left him physically and mentally confident.
There was little to choose between Draper and 55th-ranked Kecmanovic – but it was the Serb who performed better in the crucial moments.
Two double faults from Draper in the first set tiebreak – making the score 2-0 and 5-2 respectively – proved particularly costly.
“It’s hard knowing that Cam has to play Djokovic after that, and that seems like a must-win match for me,” Draper said.
“I support Cam, but it’s definitely a big challenge going out there knowing there’s a lot more pressure on me to win the match.”
“This is the kind of pressure I have to deal with and perform under if I want to become a top player. It’s hard not to win today.”
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