The Wimbledon crowd booed Novak Djokovic during the Serbian’s semi-final victory over Italian underdog Lorenzo Musetti.
Djokovic is on course to claim a record-equalling eighth men’s singles title at Wimbledon, after a a 6-4 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 victory on Centre Court.
The 37-year-old has set up a showdown with reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz in a repeat of last year’s final, which the Spaniard won 1-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 3-6 6-4 in a five-set epic.
Despite his relentless success, Djokovic has sometimes struggled to win over the hearts of the Wimbledon faithful.
Indeed, in his semi-final against Musetti, Djokovic celebrated by miming a violin in honour of his daughter. However, the action was completely misinterpreted by the Centre Court crowd, who stunned the BBC commentary team by booing the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
Andrew Castle said: “The violin is for his daughter and he’s sharing it with the crowd.”
John McEnroe questioned: “Why are people booing?”
Nick Kyrgios replied: “I have no idea.”
Castle said: “Because they think that he’s making fun of them but he’s not. Or is he?
Kyrgios added: “No he’s not.”
On the celebration, Djokovic explained earlier in the tournament: “That was for Tara. My daughter has been playing violin for some time already, six months, and we agreed that I would celebrate that way.”
Djokovic’s celebration is in honour of his daughter (Getty)
Meanwhile, asked about Alcaraz ahead of Sunday’s final, Djokovic said: “He’s a great example of a player that has an all-round balance, he has a great team around him, great values, a lot of charisma and carries himself superbly – that’s one of the reasons why is so popular.
“He’s one of the greatest 21-year-olds we’ve ever seen and we’re going to see a lot of him in the future, no doubt. He’s going to win many Grand Slams, but hopefully not in two days. He can do it when I retire.”
Djokovic added: “He already beat me here in a Wimbledon final in a five-set thriller so I don’t expect anything less than a huge battle.
“He is as complete a player as they come, so it’s going to take the best of my ability to beat him.”