KEVIN DURANT BOOING THE OKC CROWD AS THE CROWD BOOED HIM ON OPENING NIGHT 🤣

LQNDO NORRIS REACTS TO F1 ITALIAN GP BOOS AFTER MCLAREN SWAP

Lando Norris was booed by fans on the podium after the Italian GP

Lando Norris reacted to the audible boos aimed in his direction when taking to the podium after the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix.

The Briton finished a distant second behind race winner Max Verstappen at Monza, ahead of his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri.

Norris fell into third late on behind Piastri after a botched pitstop, with the Australian having pitted the lap before as part of a team strategy.

Due to the nature of Norris’ stop, Piastri was instructed to hand the place back to Norris, ensuring he would finish second, a position he held for virtually the whole race.

The Italian fans seemed to take umbrage with the tactic and began to boo when Norris walked onto the rostrum, as they assembled in their traditional post-race track invasion beneath it.

After the race, Norris was asked for his reaction to the negative reception he received. He conveyed a sense of confusion, but added he heard plenty of cheering to counteract it.

“I don’t know why. I heard them,” he told media including Motorsport Week. “I hear the cheers louder than the boos, and that’s the most important.”

Verstappen, conversely, received a hero’s reception as he stood upon the top step, with many serenading him with the ’33 Max Verstappen’ song by Carte Blanq and Maxx Power.

When asked how he felt about the tifosi’s wholly positive response to his victory, the Dutchman appeared to be in awe of the spectacle.

“I think already in Imola it was pretty similar. It’s just nice to see that support,” Verstappen added.

“Of course, most of them are here to support Ferrari – unfortunately they were not on the podium.

“But to see that crowd was incredible. Honestly, it’s probably the best podium in the season in terms of what you see and how big the crowd is.

“They were very joyful, I would say, just having a good time, and it was nice to be part of it.”

- Jack Oliver Smith

PRESIDENT TRUMP ATTENDS THE US OPEN FINAL AT FLUSHING MEADOWS, NEW YORK | GREETED WITH CHEERS & BOOES

 

FANS IN MONTREAL LOUDLY BOO U S. ANTHEM PRIOR TO AMERICANS' 4 NATIONS GAME VS. CANADA

Players and fans stand for the U.S. national anthem prior to the first period of 4 Nations Face-Off hockey game between Canada and the United States in Montreal on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025.

Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP

 MONTREAL — Fans in Montreal loudly booed the U.S. national anthem prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off game between the Americans and Canada on Saturday night.

It's the second time "The Star-Spangled Banner" drew that reaction in two games the United States has played at the NHL-run international tournament.

And it came after public address announcer Michel Lacroix asked the crowd, in French and English, "In the spirit of this great game that unites everyone that you kindly respect the anthems and the players that represent each country."

This time, far more of the fans at Bell Centre booed than Thursday night before the U.S. beat Finland. The booing began when warrant officer David Grenon of the Royal Canadian Air Force Band started singing and lasted the entire length of the song.

"We knew it was going to happen," U.S. defenseman Zach Werenski said after beating Canada 3-1 and quieting the crowd of over 21,000. "It happened the last game, it's been happening in the NHL before this and we knew tonight was going to be the same way. We obviously don't like it."

U.S. players have been trying to tune it out. After beating Finland 6-1 on Thursday, goaltender Connor Hellebuyck said he "paid no attention to" the booing.

"You have free speech," Hellebuyck said. "You can do whatever you want. If you're going to boo the anthem, we sing it for the troops that protected our freedom. That doesn't really mean anything to me. You can do whatever you want. But I don't use it at all."

Werenski said it provided some fuel with the U.S. serving in the villain role in Canada.

"It is what it is," Werenski said. "We kind of had an idea. We used it as motivation the best we could and found a way to get a win. But we had an idea going into it, so it wasn't a surprise. Definitely don't like it, though."

U.S. forward Matthew Tkachuk, who fought Canada's Brandon Hagel off the opening faceoff, setting off a series of three bouts in nine seconds, said it had nothing to do with the anthem booing. If anything, players felt it added to the fun of the night.

"It's just unbelievable, the atmosphere, to play on this stage in Canada, that was pretty cool for all of us I think," said winger Jake Guentzel, who scored twice, including the empty-netter that sealed it. "There's a lot of excitement from our team coming out for warmups and just seeing how packed it was. That was pretty special."

Fans across Canada have booed the U.S. anthem at NHL and NBA games since President Donald Trump began making repeated references to the country becoming "the 51st state." Trump also threatened tariffs against the country, prompting backlash from a close neighbor and longtime ally.

Asked Friday at practice about fans booing the U.S. anthem, veteran Canada defenseman Drew Doughty voiced opposition to it.

"Obviously, I know what's going on, and I understand the Canadians' frustration, but I think we should respect the anthems and stuff like that," Doughty said. "I don't think anyone should be booing."

- The Associated Press

NOVAK DJOKOVIC REFUSES POST - MATCH INTERVIEW AT AUSTRALIAN OPEN AFTER ACCUSING HOST BROADCASTER OF 'MOCKING SERBIAN FANS'

Novak Djokovic reacts after beating Jiri Lehecka (Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/AP)

Novak Djokovic set up a blockbuster Australian Open quarter-final against Carlos Alcaraz but refused to do a post-match interview because of a row with the host broadcaster.

Djokovic has been riled by some of the fan behaviour at Melbourne Park and he was booed after declining to answer questions from former champion Jim Courier on court in the customary manner following his 6-3 6-4 7-6 (4) win over Jiri Lehecka, instead briefly thanking supporters for coming.

But the 10-time champion revealed in his post-match press conference that his ire was not directed at the crowd but at broadcaster Channel 9 following an incident ahead of his third-round match when presenter Tony Jones mocked a group of chanting Djokovic fans behind him by singing, “Novak is overrated, Novak’s a has-been, Novak kick him out”.

“A couple of days ago the famous sports journalist who works for the official broadcaster, Channel 9 here in Australia, made a mockery of Serbian fans and also made insulting and offensive comments towards me,” said Djokovic.

“And, since then, he chose not to issue any public apology. Neither did Channel 9. So, since they’re official broadcasters, I chose not to give interviews for Channel 9.

“I have nothing against Jim Courier or neither the Australian public. It was a very awkward situation for me to face on the court today. It’s unfortunate. I chose to say something to the crowd, but obviously wasn’t the time and space or situation for me to explain what I’m doing right now.

“I leave it to Channel 9 to handle this the way they think they see fit.”

It was an unexpected denouement to what had been a positive match for Djokovic, who looked sharp against in-form 24th seed Lehecka.

Now he and coach Andy Murray must prepare for by some distance the biggest match of the tournament so far against third seed Alcaraz on Tuesday.

Djokovic insisted the dispute does not add extra motivation, saying: “I’m very determined already. (I am) not using this to fuel my fire more.”

He added that he was willing to accept a fine for his stance, saying: “I feel like this is something that needs to be done.”

It will be an eighth meeting overall and fourth at a grand slam between the Serbian and Spaniard, with Djokovic having triumphed in the semi-finals at the French Open in 2023, while Alcaraz has won the last two Wimbledon finals.

Their last meeting came at Roland Garros in the Olympic final last summer, when Djokovic claimed an emotional first gold medal.

Novak Djokovic gestures to the crowd (Mark Baker/AP)

His fall in ranking to seventh means this is the earliest stage at a slam they will have done battle, and there is a huge amount on the line for both men.

Djokovic is bidding to win a record-breaking 25th slam title while Alcaraz can become the youngest man ever to complete the career Grand Slam.

Alcaraz only had to play two sets on Sunday because of the retirement through injury of Jack Draper.

The third seed, who has dropped only one set so far, said of the match-up with a smile: “This is not the right player to play in a quarter-final, I guess.

“I think in a grand slam, from quarter-finals to the final, those players are the best in the world. If it wasn’t Djokovic in the quarter-final, it could be another player who is in the top of the ranking.

“But, facing Novak, for me it’s not going to change anything if I’m playing him in a quarter-final or semi-final. Probably change a little bit if it is a final, obviously.

“Being in a quarter-final, I’m going to approach the match the same as I did in the previous matches against him, and let’s see. I know my weapons. I know that I’m able to play good tennis against him, I’m able to beat him.”

The final stages are shaping up to pit the leading players against each other, with second seed Alexander Zverev also making it through.

The German recovered from losing the second set to defeat France’s Ugo Humbert 6-1 2-6 6-3 6-2 and will next face 12th seed Tommy Paul, who beat a physically hampered Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1 6-1 6-1.

DANIELLE COLLINS IS JEERED OFF THE COURT AS SHE CRASHES OUT OF THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN - BUT TENNIS STAR DUBBED A 'BRAT' FOR ON-COURT ANTICS CLAIMS SHE HAS RECEIVED SIX SPONSORSHIP OFFERS AFTER TAKING ON HECKLERS

Collins flashed a gesture toward the crowd after being heckled as she left the court

•  The American pantomime villain lost to her compatriot in straight sets

• Collins was booed after sarcastically thanking spectators for 'paying my bills'

• She also insisted she wouldn't let the persistent heckling get under her skin 

Danielle Collins was booed off the court after being knocked out of the Australian Open following her defeat to fellow American Madison Keys on Saturday.

Collins, 31, became a pantomime villain at Melbourne Park after sarcastically hitting back at her hecklers, having defeated home favourite Destanee Aiava in the second round on Thursday before bragging about earning a 'big fat cheque'.

She also blew kisses at the crowd, cupped her ear and even slapped her backside. 

Collins had sarcastically cupped her ear after being jeered by the crowd on Thursday

One critic took exception to her behaviour, scathingly labelling her a 'brat', and there was no love lost when she returned to the court for her third round tie.

Collins, the 10th seed in the women's singles, smiled after being given a mixed reception when she walked out on centre court at Rod Laver Arena.

But cheers soon went up when she made her first double fault and despite showing glimpses of a fightback in the second set, Collins was downed 6-4 6-4. 

At the end of the first set, the chair umpire told the crowd to respect both players.

Collins endured a miserable display and also required a medical timeout at 4-3 down in the second set, with heavy strapping then applied to her left leg.

After crashing out, she hobbled off the court to more audible jeers and made a gesture to fans as she headed for the exit.

Speaking in her post-match press conference, Collins admitted she 'expected' to be booed by the crowd, but claimed it was a 'blessing' having received six sponsorship offers during the Grand Slam.

‘Like I said, I really do enjoy playing in these types of environments,' Collins said. 'It's what you work so hard for your entire life as a kid. I embraced it.

Obviously, I'm towards the end of my career, it's wonderful that I can capitalise on these opportunities.

‘I think that six different sponsorship opportunities come up this tournament alone, that's a great signal for me. Obviously, like I said, every fan contributes to that. It's been a real blessing.'

Collins was asked whether she could one day win back the Australian public, with the American claiming it was 'up to them' and suggested the crowd may have taken things too seriously.

'Someone was telling me the average age of people watching tennis is 65,' said Collins, who laughed off being labelled a 'brat'.

She believes she was primarily heckled because she was facing the last Australian standing

I think we need to bring some entertainment to the game and make jokes and laugh, I don't have a big ego when it comes to this, I don't care what is written about me.

'I don't care what some guy living in his basement is writing on the internet. You know what I mean? 

'I'm just trying to have fun. I'm just try to enjoy my life and have fun with it.’ 

A beaten finalist to Ash Barty in Melbourne in 2022, Collins had yelled at the crowd to 'shut up' after a fault during her pulsating victory over Aiava.

Later, however, she said she used the 'hostile atmosphere' as motivation.

'One of the greatest things about being a professional athlete is that the people that don't like you and the people that hate you, they actually pay your bills,' Collins said.

'My professional career is not going to last forever so I just remind myself every day when I have that kind of stuff [negative crowd reactions] they're paying my bills.

'Every person that has bought a ticket to come out here and heckle me or do what they do, it's all going towards the Danielle Collins fund.

'I think they really wanted for her to win badly. I think there were a lot of people that were super drunk and had a hard time controlling themselves and were really excited.

Keys won in straight sets two days on from Collins' dramatic victory over Destanee Aiava

'I'm from a different country, here competing against someone that's from here. Ultimately it wasà a pretty cool environment I thought. 

'Even though it was pretty rowdy, this girl loves it, so...

'All I have to say is good luck pissing somebody off or getting under the skin of somebody that really doesn't care.'

Speaking after her fourth round loss, Collins joked her friends on tour had asked whether they would be invited on the yacht after her on court vow to go on a luxury holiday. 

- DANIEL DAVIS

JOEL EMBIID LAUGHS OFF JEERS, LEADS U.S. ROUT INTO OLYMPIC SEMIS

Joel Embiid of Team USA at Paris Olympics on August 6, 2024. PHOTO: GREGORY SHAMUS/GETTY

PARIS -- If there's one thing Joel Embiid has learned during the Olympics, it's that the French can boo him but no one here can stop him from doing the crotch chop.

The American center's comfort level in dealing with adversity mirrored that of the rest of his teammates Tuesday as Team USA put on a clinic in a 122-87 quarterfinal victory over Brazil.

The U.S. is now two wins from a fifth consecutive gold medal and is set up for another meeting with Serbia in the semifinals on Thursday.

Kevin Durant added 11 points for Team USA, passing legend Lisa Leslie for the most points in American Olympic history.

Not only did Embiid laugh his way through the jeers from those still annoyed that he passed on France's offer to join its national team. He was all too happy to pull out one of his favorite celebrations with the WWE-inspired chop maneuver. Embiid has been fined twice -- for $60,000 -- for the move by the NBA, but on this night, league commissioner Adam Silver was at Bercy Arena only as a fan.

"Oh no, they still might find a way [to fine me], but that felt good," Embiid said with a smile. "It's good to have fun too, because at the end of the day, you got to take something out of this experience."

The U.S. needed some production from Embiid against a Brazil team with a strong front line. He was dominant right from the start, cleaning the glass effectively and showing off his classic mix of interior and perimeter scoring.

In 12 devastating minutes of work in the first half, Embiid put in 14 points with seven rebounds. Brazil was helpless in dealing with him as he made 5 of 6 shots, including two 3-pointers. The boos from the fans ebbed, which only seemed to encourage Embiid to ask for more of them.

Embiid did have a minor ankle turn, and he sat the second half as a precaution.

The antics were part of the low-stress evening Team USA was hoping for, especially after seeing underdogs apply all sorts of pressure during the day, including France upsetting Canada just as the Americans were arriving at the arena.

With Tuesday's 35-point victory, Team USA has won each of its first four games here by at least 15 points, marking the first time a U.S. men's team has done so since the 2008 Redeem Team, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

Durant, who entered the game five points behind Leslie as the U.S. Olympic scoring leader, finished the day with 494 points for his career.

"Records are meant to be broken, so somebody will come along and do the same to me," Durant said. "My focus is on trying to win this gold."

All in all, it was a brilliant display of precision basketball led by LeBron James, who is steadily assembling a case for Olympic MVP. James was the catalyst for an impressive display of selfless offense, throwing an array of jaw-dropping passes that led to easy baskets for his teammates.

The most memorable happened just before the end of the first half on an inbounds pass. From half court, James threw a no-look frozen rope that threaded a tight window between Brazilian defenders and ended up perfectly in the hands of Jayson Tatum for an alley-oop.

"We had a play, but he just looked at me, so I knew he was doing the backdoor," Tatum said. "That was a hell of a pass. He put it right on the money, so he made it easy for me."

James has thrown some passes for the scrapbook already during the Paris Games, and all he did Tuesday was pile up nine assists in just 12 minutes to go with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting. The only thing keeping it from being a perfect night was an elbow.

Brazil's Georginho De Paula caught James above the left eye going for a rebound midway through the third quarter, opening up a cut. James exited to the locker room, where he got four stitches, and did not return to the game. It is not expected to cost him any more time.

James' lead was infectious as Team USA displayed perhaps its best ball movement of the summer. The Americans had 18 assists on their first 19 baskets.

"For a guy who truly is a point forward at heart, for him to be the leading scorer in NBA history when that's kind of the secondary thing that he does, he's crazy," Team USA coach Steve Kerr said. "But that's LeBron."

Devin Booker, who has been one of the Americans' steadiest players, ended up leading the team in scoring with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting.

Brazil was fueled by former NBA player Bruno Caboclo, who had 24 points.

- Brian Windhorst, ESPN Senior Writer

ENGLAND BOOED AFTER SLOVENIA QUALIFY WITH 0-0 DRAW

 

MOVAK DJOKOVIC GOT A TASTE OF HIS MEDICINE AFTER BEING BOOED BY CROWD YET HE GETS UPSET

 

A furious Novak Djokovic branded the French Open crowd "disrespectful" after being booed during his third round victory over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

The Serbian superstar is looking to win just his third Roland Garros title this year, though it looks like he'll struggle to get the fans on side based on today's evidence.

During the second set of his routine, albeit somewhat laboured, victory over Fokina, Djokovic took a medical time out in order to get his thigh massaged, prompting jeers from the crowd.

In response, the 22-time Grand Slam champion sarcastically applauded and stuck his thumb up before expressing his frustration with the spectators further during his post-match press conference.

"I think the majority of the people come to enjoy tennis or support one or the other player. But there are people that love to boo every single thing you do," Djokovic told reporters.