In 10 minutes, Novak Djokovic went from wearing an apologetic smile for acting recklessly on court to furiously storming out of the Arthur Ashe Stadium of the US Open. As if the tennis star had not made enough headlines in a relatively dull year for sports, his latest ejection from the tournament should surely make 2020 the year of Djokovic’s controversies for men’s tennis.
The world number one had accidentally struck a lineswoman in the throat when he hit a ball in frustration between serves in the first set of his fourth-round match against Pablo Carreno Busta. The official collapsed to the ground and Djokovic rushed to see if she was ok. A minute later, she walked off the court for treatment, as the match officials huddled to decide Djokovic’s fate.
The Serb tried to convince them to let him off with a game or set penalty but it wasn’t to be. Djokovic was defaulted for “intentionally hitting a ball dangerously or recklessly within the court with negligent disregard of the consequences”. He shook hands with Busta, walked out of the court, skipped his press conference (which could attract a fine of USD 20,000) and hopped into a cab. He later issued an apology on his Instagram page.
If anything, 2020 has been a “reckless” year for Djokovic. Though undefeated on the court—first with the Australian Open victory, then the Dubai Open and the Cincinnati Masters—the 33-year-old gave multiple reasons to rub fans, fellow players and authorities the wrong way.
It first started during the early days of sports shutting down because of the pandemic, when the 17-time grand slam champion said during an online chat that he was against vaccinations and would not take one to travel. He was slammed and labelled an anti-vaxxer for it.
He would later make his biggest mistake of the year when he organised a series of exhibition games in June with scant regard for social distancing protocol for players and fans. The players who turned up also partied in Belgrade. Several of them ended up testing COVID-positive, including Djokovic and his wife. The censure that followed from around the world was brutal.
Then, days before the start of the US Open, he announced a breakaway body from the men’s ATP, termed Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), but was again criticised by many of his colleagues for creating division at a time like this. Though about 60 players backed the formation of the PTPA, few leading voices backed his efforts. Then came the latest incident at the Flushing Meadows.
The rule book is clear, and irrespective of the players’ status or intent, Djokovic’s action is a clear violation. Some argue that the officials’ decision to disqualify him could have been influenced by his attempt to rebel against the ATP. The PTPA is supposed to be a means of empowering players to negotiate directly with tournament organisers to give players a higher share of the income. Right now, a reported 14 per cent of grand slam revenues go to the players.
Just a year and a half ago, Djokovic was also instrumental in ousting ATP chief Chris Kermode. He clearly commands a strong voice on the circuit, but the lack of support for his timing in forcing a new players’ body left him out in the cold in the fight against the power structures in place at the ATP. Moreover, that the PTPA did not include the cause of female players did not go well with many.
It would be fair to say that the uproar against a rule that does not take into consideration a player’s intent to harm another person would have been louder had it been Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal in Djokovic’s place. But the officials cannot be faulted for this, as anything less than a disqualification would have made it an instance of preferential treatment to the world number one.
In 1995, Tim Henman was disqualified after he inadvertently hit a ball girl in the ear at Wimbledon. As was David Nalbandian in the 2012 Queen’s Club final when he kicked an advertising hoarding into a line judge’s shin.
The recent events have not done the Djoker’s image any favours. Unlike Federer and Nadal, the sweethearts of the tennis world, Djokovic has always been an outsider. He is known for his eccentricities, his repeated expression of frustration on court resulting in incidents like this, has been accused of faking injuries to take long breaks during games and frequent episodes of disregard for others in his pursuit for domination.
But it is only likely to fuel his desire to push for greatness. Djokovic has always proved to emerge out of adversities stronger, be it his upbringing in war-torn Serbia to always being considered a “third wheel” to the reign of the only two men who have won more slams than him.
With both of them ruling themselves out of this year’s US Open, it was Djokovic’s title to lose, and he was on course to securing his 18th grand slam without much opposition. His next chance to inch closer to Federer’s record of 20 slams will be at the French Open, which starts on September 21, but on Djokovic’s path to redeeming his topsy-turvy year stands 12-time winner Nadal, who returns to action after an extended break.
The year of the Djoker may not be over just yet.
