In early September 2020, when he seemed to have everything going for him to win the US Open, Djokovic was disqualified.
At the center of a judicial mess since he wanted to enter Australia without being vaccinated against COVID-19, Novak Djokovic, one of the best tennis players of all time, is used to controversy.
These are five cases that marred the career of the 34-year-old Serbian, with 20 Grand Slam titles in his possession.
Stupor at the US Open
In early September 2020, when he seemed to have everything in his favor to win the US Open, Djokovic was disqualified during the round of 16 against Spanish Pablo Carreño for accidentally throwing a ball against a linesman, hitting her in the throat .
Hitting the ball in this way, the Serbian expressed his frustration after Carreño broke his serve, taking a 6-5 lead in the first set, on an Arthur-Ashe court where there were no spectators due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“This whole situation has left me really sad and empty,” he commented. “I made a question about the linesman and the tournament told me that thank God she is well (…) I am very sorry to have caused her so much stress,” he said. “So involuntary, so wrong,” he noted.
Tour with COVID in the Balkans
In June of that same year, in the midst of a pandemic and with the professional tennis circuit on hold, Djokovic organized the Adria Tour, a series of exhibition tournaments in the Balkans.
But this “tennis party” was brutally interrupted in Zadar, Croatia, when Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov tested positive for the coronavirus.
Djokovic, his wife, Jelena, and compatriots Viktor Troicki and Borna Coric would later reveal that they were also infected.
In addition, the players were highly criticized for having gone to a disco, where they danced and kissed each other, ignoring the recommended gestures to avoid contagion.
Requirements
When he arrived in Melbourne a year ago for the 2021 edition of the Australian Open, Djokovic caused a storm of protests when some sources revealed that the tennis player imposed a list of demands, such as that players could have private accommodation equipped with Tennis courts.
“Djokovic is a cretin (Djokovic is a tool),” Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios reacted on Twitter.
Pain resistant
Djokovic has long been suspected of exaggerating the severity of his injuries.
During the 2008 US Open, he claimed two medical casualties during his five-set win over Tommy Robredo.
Before the press, Andy Roddick, who was due to face Djokovic in the quarterfinals, commented wryly on the Serbian’s long list of injuries, including “two affected ankles, bird flu and SARS.”
Djokovic responded directly to him on the court, during the post-game interview, after having beaten him: “It seems that Andy said that I suffered from 16 injuries in this game (…) Well, I don’t think so,” he said.
However, the Serbian cannot get rid of this reputation. During the 2020 Roland-Garros tournament, Pablo Carreño, defeated by the Serbian in the quarterfinals, said: “every time a match gets complicated, he requests medical assistance.”
In early 2021, during the Australian Open, American Taylor Fritz, having lost to him in five sets in the third round, was also scathing. When Djokovic explained that he had had to fight on the court, because he had torn his abdomen, the American said: “if really, really, he had been injured, he would not have been able to continue playing.”
Djokovic continued to play until the end and earned his ninth Australian Open title.
“Water reacts to our emotions”
Away from the fields, Djokovic caused another controversy by stating that it is possible to modify the composition of water or food if you think positively.
In an online conversation with Chervin Jafarieh, a “wellness guru”, the Serbian gamer stated: “I have seen people and I know some people who are capable, through energetic transformations, by the power of prayer, transform food more toxic or the most polluted water in the most curative water ”.
In addition, he added that some “scientists have shown that the molecules present in water react to our emotions, to what is said.”
Mary Carillo, former tennis player and currently sportscaster, expressed her discomfort on The Tennis Channel.
“It bothers me a lot that Djokovic or others say that we can change toxic water into drinking water. They are dangerous statements, “he said. (D)
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
