Novak Djokovic loses cool with chair umpire over unruly US Open Crowd

Novak Djokovic advanced to a record-extending 53rd Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.

However, the match took an unexpected turn when the Serbian tennis player had a fiery exchange with the chair umpire over what he perceived as a failure to control the crowd.

Djokovic secured a 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 victory but was visibly frustrated with spectators repeatedly cheering his faults.

But he got more annoyed in the third set as crowd noise intensified during his service games when he missed the first serve when defending a break point.

The moment caught on camera and soon went viral, in which Djokovic was heard demanding action, saying, “What are you going to do?" and criticizing the official's passive approach by mocking, “All you say is thank you, please, thank you please.”

Dumusois, chair umpire, replied, “I just made [an announcement] when both players are ready, stop shouting”

He further advised, “It’s not gonna help, Novak.”

The American crowd continuously cheered for Taylor Fritz, proudly supporting their fellow countryman.

After Djokovic’s complaint, the crowd became more vocal.

The American tennis player took advantage of the situation and served to win the third set.

Despite interruption, Djokovic managed to focus his attention once again to win the match in the fourth set.

His win cooled his head, and he also made a memorable appearance by blowing kisses to the fans, a gesture he had used before when receiving ambivalent responses.

Fritz admitted that his opponent played better in the key moments, but he said, “He served better. He made a lot fewer mistakes. He played better in the fourth.”