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Of course, the world’s number one didn’t hit the ball in the throat of the linesman on purpose. The immediate reaction when Novak Djokovic found out what happened in New York clearly supports heartfelt remorse. However, disqualification from the US Open will hold on to the Serb for a long time, probably as much for the rest of her career as for her legacy as a tennis player.

In many ways it will be a bit unfair, but it is so even in a sport where the ideal of the gentleman hangs high and a bad boy stamp is hard to get rid of.

For Novak Djokovic, it is also a problem that this is not his first act to break his reputation in a short time.

Although it has been enormous on the field in the tournaments that have been played (26-1 in matches), 2020 has been a gigantic year. horrible dose too much more.

Sportingly, it all started as usual, with Djokovic winning a Grand Slam in Melbourne (he has eight of them). But in the five-set drama against Austria’s Dominic Thiem, he managed to get into an argument with the referee, with some statements that didn’t exactly produce model material.

It’s probably also an “understatement” to say that Novak Djokovic could have come out of the crown crisis better than he has. First, he managed to deliver skeptical statements about vaccines that surprised many. But the real scandal came when Djokovic chose to host his own tennis tournament as the pandemic turned out to be the worst. The idea behind the “Adria Cup” in the middle of the crown summer was certainly noble on one level, but the respect for infection control considerations didn’t exactly seem overwhelming. Here the audience was in the stands in various countries, and the images of stars feasting and squeezing gave the impression that the virus was not taken seriously at all.

And what happened then? Several of the stars were infected by covid-19, including Djokovic himself, and the Adria Cup was canceled. It all ended with a public apology from the top of the world and a massive condemnation from fellow tennis players for the decapitation.

He then led the breakaway group that will form a new players’ organization, ending in a clinch with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, before hitting a linesman in the neck with a tennis ball, after being angered by a lost game. .

Summa summaryum: Too in too little time for Novak Djokovic to get away with a new excuse and some good tennis down the road.

In fact, it is quite sad that the Serbian ended up here. She has a witty line, a lot of irony, and the way she handles a rare loss has often been highly respected. But it has been a challenge for him over time to cope with the fact that even though he has been the best for long periods, he is never fully lifted in the same position as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal with the wide following. to tennis, En One of the reasons why “Fedal” has the unique position that the Swiss and the Spanish have, is the aura and the way they behave so consistently. Federer was a hothead when he was young and did not always manage to control himself, but he has become the perfect gentleman over the years.

In the exchange of words after the eviction from New York, there are many who condemn Djokovic, but there are also those who attack the regulations for being too rigid and rigid. It’s a discussion that is completely legitimate to take, but all the big stars now even know that tennis has put the list where it is.

And then Novak Djokovic has no one but himself to thank for the fact that something is happening now that we haven’t seen in six years – that a Grand Slam is won by a player who has never risen to the top in one. of the four big tournaments. .