Novak Djokovic booed by fans as life in new country takes sour turn

Tennis great Novak Djokovic isn't as universally adored in Greece as he might be in other parts of the world. That much was apparent after he was jeered at a basketball match in his new country of residence.

Fans were put on alert over the summer after it emerged 'Nole' was moving his family to Greece. The 38-year-old is a proud Serb who was born and raised in Belgrade but made the surprise decision to adopt a new base in Athens. As well as being arguably the greatest tennis player of all time, Djokovic is an avid sports fan with a keen interest in basketball. And the fascination is nothing new, with the superstar regularly seen attending games involving Serb clubs Red Star or Partizan.

And the home fans didn't let that fact lie after spotting Djokovic at a recent Euroleague game between Panathinaikos and Maccabi. Panathinaikos are one of two Greek teams currently in the picture to reach the play-offs, while Israeli outfit Maccabi are struggling near the base of the table.

Panathinaikos are also one place below Djokovic's beloved Red Star in the standings. And that rivalry was laid out for all to see when Nole and his son, Stefan, appeared on the big screen this week.

Boos rang out around the Telekom Center in response to the Serb celeb being caught on camera. And that's when neither of the teams he supports are even in attendance.

It's hard to ascertain how many of the 18,500 or so fans in attendance joined in the jeering. However, it was certainly enough for TV cameras to pick up on as he sampled some sport in his new home.

To his credit, Djokovic appeared ignorant of the fact and continued to look down on his phone despite the Jumbotron cameo. However, son Stefan was keenly aware and flashed the fans a peace symbol with two fingers after spotting himself on the screen.

It was only one day after the Panithinaikos fixture that Djokovic was back in attendance at the basketball and was given a much warmer reception. He watched Olympiacos lose to French team Monaco at the Peace and Friendship Stadium on Wednesday, where the audience cheered his appearance this time around.

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Panithinaikos went on to beat Maccabi 99-85 in their Euroleague encounter to remain right on Red Star's heels. Serb side Partizan visits Olympiacos next week (Nov. 7), but Djokovic is almost certain to not be in attendance.

That's because the fixture falls just 48 hours before the ATP Finals are due to get underway in Turin. Djokovic qualified for the event last month and is set to go up against the best on the planet, though suspicions have been raised as to whether he'll compete.

He'll go up against Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz in an elite line-up for the ATP crown. And the crowd in Turin are almost certain to give him a much kinder greeting.