Novak Djokovic swept aside Denmark’s Holger Rune to reach his 15th quarter-final at Wimbledon – before accusing fans of disrespecting him.
Despite appearing to struggle with a stomach issue, Djokovic beat the 15th seed 6-3 6-4 6-2 on a rowdy Centre Court.
Rune received the backing of many in attendance, who cheered him along with drawn-out bellowing of his name which Djokovic angrily took to be booing.
“They were [disrespecting me],” Djokovic said.
“I don’t accept it. I know they were cheering for Rune but that’s an excuse to also boo.
“I’ve been on the tour for more than 20 years – trust me, I know all the tricks, I know how it works. You guys can’t touch me.”
The 37-year-old is going for an eighth Wimbledon title and record 25th Grand Slam overall.
He will next play Alex de Minaur, who booked his spot in the quarter-finals with a 6-2 6-4 4-6 6-3 win against France’s Arthur Fils.
The real drama of the day in the men’s singles came as American Taylor Fritz produced a magnificent escape act by battling from two sets down to beat fourth seed Alexander Zverev.
Before Monday’s final match on Centre Court, Djokovic said there would be “fireworks” when he faced Rune.
The Dane had defeated Djokovic twice before – wins that helped establish him as one of the sport’s rising stars.
However, he rarely came close to troubling the second seed on this occasion, failing to make the most of just two break points.
Still sporting a knee support on his right leg following surgery in June, Djokovic got off to a lightning start, winning the first 12 points and assuming a 3-0 advantage.
Djokovic seemed to struggle with a stomach problem early in the second set, clutching his abdomen and taking deep breaths between points.
However, he was still able to assert control for the remainder of the match and secured the straightforward victory in a little over two hours.
Fritz comes back for ‘dream’ win against Zverev
Fritz, the 13th seed, gained a 4-6 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 victory over his German opponent Zverev on Centre Court prior to Djokovic’s evening match.
Zverev was aiming to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time and did not face a break point in the opening two sets.
But Fritz, 26, became the first player to break the Zverev serve at this tournament during the third set, before edging the fourth to move the match into a decider.
Zverev was wearing a support on his left knee after slipping in the late stages of his third-round win over Britain’s Cameron Norrie, and as he faded a crucial break went the way of Fritz in the fourth game of the final set.
For Fritz, a second appearance in the last eight at Wimbledon awaits him, two years after he lost to Rafael Nadal in a five-set thriller at that stage. It will be a fourth Grand Slam quarter-final in all for him, and he has yet to go further.
Zverev had been only two games away from victory in the third set but has now fallen at the last-16 stage of Wimbledon on three occasions after experiencing the same fate in 2017 and 2021.
“It was amazing to do that on Centre Court, two sets down in front of this crowd. It’s a dream,” said a victorious Fritz, who gained only the third win of his career from being two sets behind.
“I still felt I was playing really well despite being down two sets. I was just thinking it sucked to be playing this well and to lose in straights.
“It’s a second time in the quarter-finals, but this time I felt I earned it a lot more so I’m really excited for the chance.”
Musetti ends lucky loser’s excellent run
Next for Fritz will be Lorenzo Musetti, who reached his first Slam quarter-final by surging past lucky loser Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard earlier in the day.
Italian 25th seed Musetti struggled against his big-serving French opponent in the first set before adapting his approach to win 4-6 6-3 6-3 6-2.
Defeat ended an impressive run for Mpetshi Perricard, who was attempting to become the first lucky loser, man or woman, to reach the singles quarter-finals of a Grand Slam.
An emotional Musetti said after his victory: “It is a really phenomenal day for me.”
Playing on his 21st birthday, Mpetshi Perricard entertained the court two crowd in the early stages with trick shots and huge serves.
He lost in the final round of qualifying before being handed a reprieve after withdrawals from the main draw, and then made eye-catching progress – until Musetti had too much for him.
The 22-year-old Musetti said: “I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was a kid. I always had a really beautiful family that always supported me.”
The win continues an impressive grass-court swing for Musetti, who was a runner-up to Tommy Paul at Queen’s Club last month.
Australian De Minaur, the ninth seed, booked his spot in the quarter-finals for the first time with a solid win over Fils on Court One.