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Novak Djokovic told a group of British fans to “shut up” as they tried to drown out his interview with musical instruments after their team were knocked out of the Davis Cup by Serbia.<\/span><\/p>\n Britain lost the quarter-final 2-0 as Cameron Norrie was unable to inflict a rare defeat on the world number one.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n “You should learn how to show some respect,” Djokovic told the fans.<\/span><\/p>\n Jack Draper was beaten 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (8-6) by Miomir Kecmanovic in the opening match of the best-of-three tie.<\/span><\/p>\n That result meant Norrie had to beat 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic for the first time in his career.<\/span><\/p>\n But Djokovic showed his class as he cruised to a 6-4 6-4 win and set Serbia up for a semi-final against Italy on Saturday.<\/span><\/p>\n After an assured and drama-free performance, Djokovic had the spiky exchange prior to his on-court interview, challenging the small number of British fans who act as the team’s band.<\/span><\/p>\n He had celebrated at the end of the first set by blowing a kiss to a British supporter heckling him and also cupped his ear in their direction at the end of the match.<\/span><\/p>\n “It’s normal that sometimes fans step over the line and in the heat of the moment you react too, and in a way show that you don’t allow this kind of behaviour,” Djokovic said.<\/span><\/p>\n “They can do whatever they want, but I’m going to respond to that. That’s what happened.<\/span><\/p>\n “I was trying to talk and they were purposely starting to play the drums so that I don’t talk and they were trying to annoy me the entire match.”<\/span><\/p>\n Britain, who last won the Davis Cup in 2015, will not automatically qualify for the 2024 knockout stage after their quarter-final exit in Malaga.<\/span><\/p>\n Unless they receive a wildcard, Leon Smith’s team will have to negotiate the same path as this year – a qualifying tie early next year, followed by the round-robin stage before the Final Eight.<\/span><\/p>\n Andy Murray, who missed the tie through injury, said it was a “tough one” for his team-mates and thanked the British fans – estimated at almost half of those in attendance at the 11,500 capacity arena – for their support.<\/span><\/p>\n “Huge thanks to all the fans who made the big effort to travel out there and create a brilliant atmosphere for the players,” said Murray, who added the Davis Cup would not be the same without them.<\/span><\/p>\n Despite being in the twilight of his career, 36-year-old Djokovic’s powers are showing little sign of diminishing.<\/span><\/p>\n In another extraordinary season, Djokovic has won the Australian Open, French Open and US Open titles, with his only defeat at a major coming against Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final.<\/span><\/p>\n On Sunday, he further underlined his superiority by rounding off the tour season with a record seventh title at the ATP Finals in Turin.<\/span><\/p>\n Now he is aiming to cap a spectacular year, even by his standards, by adding the Davis Cup to his enviable trophy haul.<\/span><\/p>\n Djokovic’s supremacy this season – and the gulf between him and most of his rivals – was further emphasised by a dominant performance against Norrie.<\/span><\/p>\n Norrie has been a fixture inside the world’s top 20 for three successive seasons but was short of the quality needed to really damage Djokovic.<\/span><\/p>\n Djokovic took two of his 12 break point opportunities, while Norrie was only able to win eight points on the Serb’s serve.<\/span><\/p>\nDjokovic takes another step towards another trophy<\/h3>\n