"When will we stop with this Xenophobic behavior?" - Tennis fans react to 'unacceptable' exchange between Viktor Troicki and fan at US Open

A local tennis fan disrupted proceedings during a US Open qualifying-round match between Borna Gojo and Hamad Medjedovic, screaming expletives at the latter's coach Viktor Troicki. The fan, who was accompanied by his friend, was eventually removed from the court.

On Tuesday, August 22, Gojo and Medjedovic were tied at one-set all when an interaction between Troicki and a local fan caused mayhem on Court 5. It is being reported that the fan was being too loud, which seemingly bothered the Serb, who was having difficulty focussing on his ward's tennis.

Troicki reportedly asked the fan to shut up, and the fan began verbally attacking the Serb in return. The angry fan proceeded to call him a "f***ing clown", and even made a xenophobic remark towards Troicki during the tirade.

"We’re cheering, you d**k. It’s New York, not f**king Serbia," the fan said.

The fan was eventually removed from the stands by the US Open security. The incident, however, drew widespread condemnation from the tennis community on social media.

Italian journalist Mario Boccardi expressed his disappointment with the fan's xenophobic rant towards the Serb.

"When will we stop with this xenophobic behaviour?" he wrote on his social media handle.

One fan state that Eastern-European tennis players are treated to xenophobic remarks on a regular basis.

"Eastern players face so much xenophobia it’s crazy," they wrote.

Here are some other reactions from fans on social media:

Fans felt Viktor Troicki deserved much more respect as a veteran of the sport

Viktor Troicki won three titles on the ATP tour during a successful career at the top of men's tennis

Many fans also asserted that Viktor Troicki didn't deserve to be verbally abused by the local fan, considering his status as a veteran of the men's tennis. The Serb played on the ATP tour in between 2006 and 2021, winning three titles on the men's singles tour, two titles on the men's doubles tour, and four team competitions representing his home country.

Troicki also reached a career-high ranking of No. 12 in the world in June 2011. The Serb was always a dangerous opponent at the big tournaments and reached the second week of a Major tournament five times in his career.

Some of the Serb's biggest career wins include beating Rafael Nadal at the 2016 Shanghai Masters and Novak Djokovic at the 2007 Croatia Open.

While he had a fruitful career as a top pro, Viktor Troicki is yet to taste success as a coach and will be flying back home after Medjedovic lost to Gojo 5-7, 7-6(2), 4-6 in the first qualifying-round match at the 2023 US Open.