After tamely surrendering the first set, Rune raced to a 3-0 lead in the second. Although Djokovic did claw his way back and take the set to a tiebreaker, it eventually ended up going Rune’s way.

But the most interesting aspect of the set was arguably the manner in which the crowd heckled Djokovic. Several fans in the stadium were actively cheering for every error the Serb coughed up, and it was clear they were rooting for the underdog.

Even though Novak Djokovic has had a magnificent season and currently finds himself on the cusp of history at the US Open, many believe he doesn’t get the amount of respect he deserves. The Serb faced a hostile crowd on several occasions at Wimbledon too, and he even expressed his disappointment at that.

On Tuesday too he looked visibly disheartened while speaking about the crowd during his post-match press conference. When asked for his thoughts on the crowd chanting Rune’s name in the second set, the Serb claimed he thought they were booing him and added that it wasn’t an “ideal atmosphere” for him.

The chants of ‘Ruuuuuune’ sounded like long-drawn boos to many observers, and Novak Djokovic felt the same way.

When asked for his thoughts on how the crowd could impact him in his next matches, Novak Djokovic acknowledged that the Arthur Ashe Stadium is the “loudest and most entertaining” tennis court out there.

Djokovic went on to admit that he wished he enjoyed more crowd support, before highlighting how he shifted his focus to himself and his game in order to stay in the moment.

Holger Rune definitely deserved my respect, and the respect of a lot of people: Novak Djokovic

Holger Rune put his heart and soul into the second set of the match. But while it gave him the set, it cost him the rest of the match as the teenager found himself dealing with severe cramps.

Rune couldn’t move freely in the third and fourth sets, which were all but a formality for Djokovic. But Rune’s courage was refreshing to see; the Dane refused to concede the match and bravely carried on till the last point.

Novak Djokovic, on his part, pointed out that he too suffered from such physical collapses in the early part of his career. He revealed that he had a chat with Rune after the match and noted that the teenager was “really sad”.

Djokovic went on to marvel at Rune’s resilience and tenacity, lauding the teenager for completing the match despite being under immense pain.

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