Known for having a strong and fearless demeanor, Djokovic is not afraid to stand up for what he believes in, even if it means going up against the umpire.
Djokovic vs. Rune
Djokovic and Rune are two of the best and most passionate players out there, and whenever the two face off on court, there always seems to be a drama that’s bound to happen.
Earlier this year at the Italian Open, Holger Rune squared off with Djokovic in the quarter-finals. And during the match, Rune and Mohamed Lahyani, the umpire, engaged in a fierce dispute over a contested line call.
“You’re an absolute joke, man,” Rune told the umpire. “Do you get punished when you make a mistake? Because when we get punished, we get fined.”
This time, though, it was Djokovic’s turn to spit fire at the umpire during their Paris Masters bout.
Djokovic at Paris Masters’ Umpire: ‘Call the Supervisor’
It was during the second set that Djokovic argued with the umpire.
At that point, Rune had challenged Djokovic’s shot for hitting near the right sideline. But this wasn’t the issue.
The issue was that, in spite of this, Rune had carried on with the rally, only challenging when his own shot went out. And even though it was too late, the umpire, Renaud Lichtenstein, allowed him.
Enraged with the umpire’s decision, Djokovic insisted on calling the supervisor instead.
Via Express:
“He played the shot, he saw it went out and then he challenged,” Djokovic said. “Call the Supervisor!” he added.
However, Lichtenstein turned down his request and merely replied, “The supervisor cannot be called Novak, that’s my judgement. The judgement, it’s my judgement.”
Lichtenstein went on to say, “He was looking that the shot was going out. Before we called it out, he asked me, that’s why I’m allowing it, Novak.”
“You must be kidding me. You know he called it late. When he hit the shot, he saw it was going out,” Novak responded.
“Yeah but he asked me before we called that ball out,” the umpire responded.
“That ball landed on the court 0.4 seconds, you’re telling me you figured out. That’s bull***,” Djokovic said before returning to the court to resume the match.
Novak Djokovic is not happy with the umpire’s decision in his match against Holger Rune
Novak: “Call the supervisor.”
Umpire: “The supervisor can’t be called on that, it’s my judgment.”
Holger put his hand up in the air to challenge after his own shot went out. pic.twitter.com/aYPsVRp6xB
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) November 3, 2023
Djokovic prevails in the end
Despite losing in the heated argument, Djokovic powered through the remaining game and recorded 7-5, 6-7 (3), 6-4, to prevail over his Danish foe.
“It was quite a similar match to last year’s final, it was anybody’s game in every set,” Djokovic said, as per Wionews.
The Serb will now advance to the last four of the Paris Masters for the ninth-time in his career.
Read More News
The first Indian racer Who wins the…
Cover Photo: YouTube