SAD ENDING : An unhappy Novak Djokovic blasts ‘disrespect’ from Wimbledon crowd following his victory over Holger Rune.”Have a GOOOOD night!”…🗣️ “You guys can’t touch me.”

An incensed Novak Djokovic accused the Centre Court crowd of “crossing the line” and disrespecting him after his three-set victory over Holger Rune.

The seven-time champion let rip at his treatment during his straight-sets triumph over the Dane as he booked his place in the Wimbledon quarter-finals, believing he was being jeered.

The crowd antagonised Djokovic by shouting ‘Rune!’ in such a way that the Serb mistook the chant for boos during the match.

“To all the fans that have had respect and stayed here tonight, I thank you from the bottom of my heart and I appreciate it,” said Djokovic.

“And to all those people that have chosen to disrespect the player – in this case me – have a goooooooood night.”

After attacking the crowd, on-court interviewer Rishi Persad tried to reassure Djokovic by saying: “I am hoping they were just commenting on Rune, and they were not disrespecting you.”

But a visibly irked Djokovic emphatically responded: “They were. They were. I am not accepting it. No, no, no. I know they were cheering for Rune but that’s an excuse to also boo.

“Listen, I have been on the tour for more than 20 years. I know all the tricks. I focus on the respectful people that pay for the ticket, and love tennis and appreciate the players.

I played in much more hostile environments, trust me – you guys can’t touch me.”

Speaking in the post-match press conference, Djokovic said he responded because a section of supporters went too far.

“Look. I don’t know what Wimbledon can do about it at those moments. The crowd pay for their tickets and have a right to cheer how they want to cheer,” he said.

“How they choose to behave or support the players is up to them. You could argue the chair umpire can step in and calm them down. There is not much you can do. You can’t take out a section of the stadium for misbehaving.

“One of the reasons the tournament is so recognised is because of the fans. I respect that and acknowledge that.

“All the true tennis fans respect the players. Of course you will support one player over another and they have freedom to choose who they back.

If someone steps over the line, I react and after the match I said what I said.”

Rune was surprised Djokovic believed the crowd was jeering, suggesting the duo had experienced the same crowd responses during previous meetings.

“It all started in the US Open the first time we played each other,” said Rune.

“They were shouting ‘Rune’ and it sounded a bit like ‘boo’. I mean, if you do not know what is happening it sounded like boo but it was my name.

If he didn’t remember it could sound different to him. They were supporting him on good points and supporting me.”

The spat with the crowd overshadowed a statement win for the Serb.

“I’m very pleased,” Djokovic said following his 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win.

“I don’t think he has played anywhere close to his best to be honest. It was a tough start for him. He lost the first 12 points and I think that got to him mentally.

Waiting all day to come out on the court is never easy. The tension is building up and stressed to get out on the court.

“On my end I think I‘ve done things at the important moments. Things could have looked different if I lost those service games.”