Novak Djokovic booed by French Open crowd and given no sympathy for nasty fall

Boos rang out in Court Philippe-Chatrier after Novak Djokovic fell in the middle of a rally.

Novak Djokovic was booed when he complained about the court after falling

Novak Djokovic was booed when he complained about the court after falling (Image: Eurosport)

Novak Djokovic was booed seconds after he took a nasty tumble on Court Philippe-Chatrier in the fifth set of his match against Francisco Cerundolo.

The world No. 1 called out the supervisor after slipping on the court. He had already complained about the quality of the clay when he injured his knee in the second set.

He slipped at the baseline again in the fifth set, getting covered in clay. Djokovic retreated to his bench to clear himself up and turned to the officials, sarcastically commending them for a good job. Boos and whistles rang out in the stands as he moaned and cleaned himself off.

Djokovic looked down and out after injuring his knee at the beginning of the second. Francisco Cerundolo led by two sets to one and had a break in the fourth before the 37-year-old stormed back to force a decider.

It looked like it was going to be another inevitable comeback for the three-time French Open champion when he broke immediately in the decider. But he relinquished his lead and things went from bad to worse when he took a nasty fall, rolling on the floor.

After getting back up, Djokovic returned to his bench to clean up before resuming the game. And he made his feelings known to those watching from the sidelines.

Stay up-to-date with the latest Tennis news Join us on WhatsApp

Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy

Novak Djokovic complained about the clay during the second set and asked for it to be swept

Novak Djokovic complained about the clay during the second set and asked for it to be swept (Image: Getty)

"Great job from you guys. You know better than us," he said in the direction of the supervisor's area. "It’s not slippery at all. Not dangerous at all. Well done supervisor and everyone. Ground staff, well done."

The fans inside the 15,000-strong Court-Philippe Chatrier booed as he towelled down. Cerundolo held to level things at 2-2 after Djokovic resumed play. And it wasn't the first time he had lashed out about the playing surface during the match.

The top seed hurt his knee in the third game of the second set and called the physio, receiving a medical time out. A few games later he lashed out about the surface and blamed it for his sudden injury scare.

TENNIS-FRA-OPEN-2024

Novak Djokovic called out the supervisor and grounds staff when he fell (Image: Getty)

"I screwed up my knee. I'm slipping and sliding all the time," he said, asking for the groundspeople to sweep the clay.

But renowned tennis coach Paul Annacone didn't agree with Djokovic's theory that the surface was only slippery because it hadn't been swept. "I just don’t think sweeping the clay is going to make it less slippery," he said on Tennis Channel.

"I just think because it’s drier it’s going to be more slippery. It has been mud the first few days, it has been an absolute mud pit. I think Novak is just having a hard time getting his bearings."

Would you like to receive news notifications from Daily Express?