Novak Djokovic tells England fans to ‘shut up’ after Davis Cup demolition job

Novak Djokovic capped a terrible night for British tennis by defeating Cameron Norrie in straight sets. When his victory eliminated Great Britain from the Davis Cup finals, he turned to a group of England fans who were still drumming during his post-match interview and told them: “Learn how to respect the players, learn how to respect the people, do the same.” “Shut up, you shut up.”

It’s a little-known fact that Djokovic once flirted with the idea of ​​obtaining British citizenship. Her mother, Dijana, met with the Lawn Tennis Association in 2006 to discuss what funding opportunities might be available. But the idea of ​​leaving Serbia ultimately proved too painful and has been the bane of British hopes ever since.

The lion’s share of Andy Murray’s career was taken by Djokovic, who stood between him and the biggest prizes, winning five of the seven major finals they competed in. Murray was out on Thursday with a shoulder problem, but that didn’t change anything: Serbia were too good.

Although Norrie’s 6-4, 6-4 defeat sealed Britain’s fate, it was not the most important match of the night. Everyone knows that Djokovic is almost unbeatable in his current form (even if Jannik Sinner has a chance when Italy meets Serbia in Saturday’s semi-final).

Therefore, the most important contest was always going to be the opening match, with 22-year-old Jack Draper facing Miomir Kecmanovic. Although Kecmanovic is ranked slightly higher (55th, to Draper’s 60th), he had lost his only previous match on the tour, which took place in Lyon in May.

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Draper went out looking for a repeat of that result and made an early statement when she nailed three aces in the opening service game. Indeed, he finished the match without missing a serve. The problem arose at the other end when Kecmanovic’s serve failed to make any impact.

Two strong hosts, two shaky comeback games: it was always going to end in a tiebreak. This is where Draper cracks up. He made several double faults in the first set tiebreak, which was an unfortunate way to give up both points and psychological state. Judging by his 30 percent win rate in sets this season, Kecmanovic can be a bit shaky at times. However, he was very consistent here and completed the 7-6, 7-6 victory with a pinpoint shot from the “T” direction.

Considering that Laslo Djere is ranked 33rd in the world, Kecmanovic’s selection for Serbia’s second singles division came as a surprise. But while Djere preferred clay, Kecmanovic’s precise and consistent play worked perfectly on this slowing down indoor hard court.

Draper later said he was ready for Kecmanovic, no matter what anyone thought. The two men have worked hard together and Draper knows exactly how good he is. “I think his tennis level is in the top 10 in the world sometimes. He doesn’t miss the ball too much. His ball speed is good on both ends, he’s pretty consistent. I gave myself a chance [but] “To be honest, I think I lost to a better player today.”

This decision didn’t make Draper feel better about life. He was playing only his second Davis Cup match after scoring a thriller against Thanasi Kokkinakis in Manchester in September. He admitted that he felt nervous after the match, especially because of the possibility of Djokovic winning his second singles match. While this left him a little flat at times, Kecmanovic, who doesn’t have as much power, stalked the field smoothly and relentlessly.

“I gave it my all,” Draper said. “Sometimes you don’t feel very good after a match, so yeah, I need to recover. After I’m done here, I’ll go support Cam. Yes, it is not easy to lose a match like this.”

Britain’s master plan was to hope for separate singles matches and then unleash the doubles pairing of Neal Skupski and Joe Salisbury, both among the world’s leading experts. But it hasn’t come to that and they will now have to return to the qualifying round in February to defend their position in the Davis Cup World Group. Unless, for some reason, they are given a wildcard into next year’s finals.

Meanwhile, Serbia will continue to seek its second Davis Cup title. The first, which they secured in 2010, was the launching pad for the first major purple patch of Djokovic’s career and highlighted the wisdom of his decision to stick with the country of his birth.

Judging by the fact that he seemed to be a bit out of sorts at the end of the first set, it’s clear that he enjoyed this final win more than the average one. He turned to a group of England fans, including Dan Evans, the other player ruled out of this tie due to injury, covered his ear and blew an icy kiss.

The team spirit was clearly visible as Djokovic gathered the entire red-shirt crowd together at the end of the match. Captain Viktor Troicki is an old friend and doubles partner whom he has known since childhood.

Together they look like the team most likely to leave Malaga with the goods.