Djokovic becoming guide to golfers on 'crowd handling' and Rory McIlroy wants European Ryder Cup team to learn

Novak Djokovic has inspired numerous young tennis players during his 20-year-long ongoing career and now he's becoming guide to golfers as well. Irish golfer Rory McIlroy, who is set to visit the United States later this month with his team for Ryder Cup, wants the players to handle crowd like Djokovic. The Serb was subjected to a raucous crowd during his US Open 2025 quarter-final match against home favourite Taylor Fritz and responded by blowing kisses after winning the match. McIlroy, who is expecting the same partisan and rowdy crowd, wants to take a leaf out of Djokovic's book on how to handle them.

McIlroy wants Ryder Cup team to learn from Djokovic

The European team, along with McIlroy, can expect jeers for them and cheers for the home side as the USA looks to regain the prestigious Ryder Cup lost two years ago in 2023 in Rome. The Irish golfer, speaking on Wednesday (Sep 3) at the Irish Open, said: "He's (Djokovic) been the best at handling that. He's had to deal with it his whole life, whether it's playing against an American in New York or playing against Roger (Federer) or Rafa (Nadal). So maybe taking a leaf out of his book and channeling that energy the right way. But again, all we can do is control our reaction and our emotions to it. I think the less we play into it, the better it is for us."

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Djokovic did lose his cool during QF match vs Fritz at US Open

The 38-year-old Serbian, however, wasn't all about calmness during his Last Eight match against Fritz as he did argue with the chair umpire about the crowd getting too loud. Djokovic eventually won the match but in the third set, which he lost, the fans at Arthur Ashe stadium was fully behind home boy Fritz after winning an advantage point which didn't matter in the end result.