Novak Djokovic confronts French Open crowd for 'no respect' during tense second round match

Novak Djokovic accused the French Open crowd of showing him "no respect" during his tensed second round match against local Valentin Royer at Court Philippe-Chatrier on Wednesday. The 39-year-old Djokovic had a tough battle against Royer, who is 15 years younger than him, but eventually won 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (7-9), 6-3 to progress to the third round.

This was the second straight victory for Djokovic over a local French player, having beaten Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round. And that has been an issue for the Serbian great, who is aiming to win a record-making 25th Grand Slam at the French Open.

Novak Djokovic vs French Open crowd

Despite Djokovic being one of the greatest tennis players of all time and winning three titles at Roland Garros, the crowd has vehemently supported the French players against the former world No 1.

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The situation got so tense during the match due to the continuous jeering that the chair umpire had to intervene.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please have some respect for both of the players,” the umpire said.

At this moment, Djokovic was unable to control his emotions as he quickly accused the crowd of disrespecting him, saying, “They have no respect, no respect.”

After his victory over Royer, Djokovic hoped he wouldn't get to play any more French players in the tournament.

“I hope I won’t play any more French players for the rest of the tournament,” Djokovic said.

“It was a very, very difficult match in difficult conditions. A big challenge for me. ... Experience helped me a lot,” he added while speaking about his win.

The high temperatures in Paris have also been a problem this year. Speaking on the tough weather conditions, Djokovic said: “That was really, really hard. I’ve played two matches and I feel like ​I’ve played for two weeks.”

Djokovic will next take on Brazilian prodigy Joao Fonseca in the third round on Friday.