“Novak Djokovic was pissed about the noise from behind” - There was "zero animosity" with Serb says Great Britain Davis Cup captain after net exchange
Leon Smith, captain of Team Great Britain, said that Novak Djokovic was not pleased with the noise coming from the crowd during the Davis Cup clash between the two counties, but added that there was no animosity between the teams.
Serbia outperformed Great Britain in their quarterfinal clash of the 2023 Davis Cup (2-0) in Malaga, Spain, on Thursday, November 23.
Despite a strong fight from Brits Jack Draper and Cameron Norrie in the two singles rubbers, Miomir Kecmanovic and Djokovic steered Serbia into the semi-final of the Davis Cup against Italy on Saturday, November 25.
Novak Djokovic cruised past Norrie in straight sets 6-4, 6-4, after Miomir Kecmanovic beat Jack Draper in a closely contested opener 7-6 (2), 7-6 (6).
Following the match, the World No.1 had a spiky exchange with a group of British fans playing musical instruments, asking them to stop while he was trying to speak during his on-court interview.
Team Great Britain captain Leon Smith said in a post-match presser that there was no friction between the Serb and his team despite the incident.
“No, I shook hands with Troicki, said well done, said well done to Novak. Look, he played a great match. No, there was zero animosity with us. In fact, I think all of us went around there, their entire coaching team, shook hands. You know, no, we've got nothing but respect for that,” he said.
Smith praised Serbia's performance, even though the outcome did not favor his squad. He explained that there was no bad blood between the teams and that the Serbian legend was miffed by the crowd's commotion.
“Look, they beat us today. Their guys played great. We'd love to have gone through but we haven't. No, there was no animosity. I think he was just a bit pissed about a bit of the noise coming from behind. Like I say, I don't think it was that bad,” he added.
Djokovic's road to 2023 Davis Cup
Novak Djokovic has had an incredible season this year, winning seven titles overall. With his historic 24th Grand Slam victory at the US Open, the Serb reclaimed theATP World No. 1 ranking. He won the Australian Open, French Open, and US Open titles as well in 2023, with his only Grand Slam loss coming in the Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz.
The Serb also won two ATP Masters 1000 titles, the Rolex Paris Masters and the Cincinnati Open, as well as the Adelaide International, an ATP 250 event.
Djokovic reached a record 400 weeks as World No. 1 in the season-ending tournament in Turin, finishing the year as the top-ranked player for a record eighth time and claiming his seventh ATP Finals title.
The 36-year-old is now hoping to cap off a phenomenal year by adding the Davis Cup to his trophy collection. He led Serbia to victory back in 2001.