European Ace McIlroy Says "I Learned How to Handle Hostile Crowds from Djokovic"

Rory McIlroy Shares How Novak Djokovic's Advice Helped Him Handle Hostile Crowds
Recalls Valuable Lessons from the Tennis Star Ahead of the Ryder Cup in New York
Europe and the United States Set for a Pride-Filled Showdown at Bethpage State Park

European ace Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) revealed that he learned a valuable lesson from tennis star Novak Djokovic (Serbia).

On September 3 (local time), a day before the DP World Tour Amgen Island Open, McIlroy attended the official press conference and was asked how he would respond to hostile attitudes, including boos from New York fans, during the Ryder Cup, a golf competition between Europe and the United States. He began by saying, "Recently, I watched Novak Djokovic's (Serbia) US Open tennis quarterfinal match."

European Ace McIlroy Says "I Learned How to Handle Hostile Crowds from Djokovic"

Rory McIlroy is smiling at the Amgen Island Open official press conference. Photo by DP World Tour

In the US Open tennis quarterfinals, Djokovic defeated Taylor Fritz (United States) 3-1 to advance to the semifinals. Throughout the match, most of the crowd overwhelmingly supported Fritz. McIlroy commented that Djokovic responded well to the New York fans and even blew a kiss to a booing spectator.

McIlroy said, "He is the best at handling those situations," and added, "He has dealt with that kind of environment his entire life, whether playing an American in New York or facing Roger Federer (Switzerland) or Rafael Nadal (Spain)." He highly praised Djokovic's mental strength in overcoming pressure.

McIlroy also revealed that Djokovic's advice to the European team two years ago during the Ryder Cup was a great help. "He gave us advice in Rome. I will follow his example and channel my energy in the right direction," McIlroy said, adding, "All we can do is control our reactions and emotions to the situation. We must not be swayed by the hostile attitude of the New York crowd."

The Ryder Cup will be held over three days from September 26 at the Black Course of Bethpage State Park in New York, United States. Both the United States and Europe will field their top 12 players for a battle of pride. In the overall record, the United States leads with 27 wins, 2 draws, and 14 losses. However, in the most recent six matches, Europe holds the advantage with four wins and two losses.