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The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has issued a statement following Novak Djokovic's comments on British fans as the governing body of tennis in Great Britain is urging British fans "to behave with respect" every time they come to support their nation.
On Wednesday, Djokovic and a group of around 5,000 British fans were going at it for pretty much the entire match. Djokovic, who felt that British fans were trying to provoke and annoy him throughout the match, told the group of fans to "shut up" after they attempted to disrupt his on-court interview.
“Learn how to respect players, how to behave yourselves, learn how to respect people, you shut up, you be quiet,” Djokovic told British fans after beating Norrie.
LTA's statement on the Djokovic-British fans situation
“Passion is a unique component of the Davis Cup and it is a competition where emotions run high.
We are lucky to have strong travelling support and would always encourage GB supporters to behave with respect for our opposition," an LTA spokesperson said in a statement. Meanwhile, Djokovic addressed the situation with fans after beating Norrie.
In his press conference, Djokovic described the acts of British fans as "disrespect." "That's disrespect but that's something you have to be prepared for in a Davis Cup. It's normal that sometimes fans step over the line. In the heat of the moment sometimes you react too and you ...
show that you don't allow this kind of behaviour. I mean, they can do whatever they want but I'm going to respond to that. They were trying to annoy me the entire match, so yeah, we had a little bit of a chat in the end," Djokovic said after the match.
What happened with British fans wasn't anything new for Djokovic as the Serb is well-accustomed to facing hostile crowds all over the world.