Something wicked this way came. And it happened during the opening rubber of the Davis Cup tie today pitting former Yugoslav republics Croatia + Serbia against each other. Novak Djokovic defeated Ivan Ljubicic 7-6 (3), 6-4, 6-1 in that match.
According to the AP (via Djangoo),
Croatia's fans booed and jeered and refused to stand when Serbia's national anthem was played, and some chanted "Kill the Serb" and other abuse at Djokovic.
"We had expected the heated atmosphere before we came here, but I'm sorry that some fans behaved the way they did at the start of the match," Djokovic said. "As the match progressed, things got a bit cooler probably because I was leading."
Ljubicic, a good friend of Djokovic, said he was also annoyed by the chants from the crowd. "They affected my concentration just as they did his," he said.
Just awful.
[Photo(s): Reuters]
On another blog someone who saw the match said, "Later provocations were quite funny because some were saying "Djoko", but in a gay way."
ReplyDeleteGuess there were would-be killers and homophobes in the audience.
This sign greeted the Serbian tennis team in Split.
ReplyDeleteScroll right.
http://www.greattennisphotos.net/2010/07/croatian-welcome-for-serbian-team.html