NEW YORK – Novak Djokovic arrives in New York to hit the reset button on his reputation and continue his quest to overtake Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on the Grand Slam board. He also sought to emerge as a political leader and reformer in the eyes of his peers.
Instead, the 33-year-old, 17-time Grand Slam singles champion walked out of the UST Billy Jean King National Tennis Center late Sunday evening, refusing to meet with the media after he defaulted for inadvertently breaking a line from the US Open. Judge in the throat with a ball in anger over the lost game.
The incident, which led to the disqualification of the top seed, happened in the first set of his fourth round clash with 20th seed Pablo Carreનોo Busta. Djokovic serving at break point at 5-5, Kareno Busta outscored him from a passing shot to secure a 6-5 break.
Djokovic, head bowed in disgust, tweaked the spare ball out of his pocket and slammed it into the back net. The ball struck the standing line judge, who fell to his knees.
Djokovic’s hopes of pulling in one of Nadal’s Grand Slam singles titles – and behind Federer – stunned television audiences at the two battle openings, prompting officials to call the court to decide Djokovic’s fate.
Shortly after Djokovic slipped his two large, black racket bags over his shoulders and stepped out of an empty courtroom at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Alexander Zverev, ranked in the quarterfinals, said, “I mean, look, it’s a That [Djokovic] Hit a ball, he hit a tennis ball. It’s very unfortunate that, you know, he hit the line judge – and especially where she hit him.
“If he had hit him somewhere else, if he had landed somewhere else … we’re talking a few inches … that would have been good.”
But you know what they say about tennis: it’s an inch game. Djokovic has benefited as much as anyone. Perhaps he should be more prudent, aware that the rule is likely to unfold anywhere at any time.
But wit is not Djokovic’s strongest claim recently. It helps explain why he is such an amazing, successful champion. He enjoys nothing more than finding himself overtaken by an opponent. It manages to turn a frustrating defensive state into a deadly, aggressive state. That’s why Nadal, after mastering Djokovic at the US Open in 2013, said, “Novak is incredible. Sometimes I wonder how I can beat him?”
By Sunday’s climax, Djokovic was leading a remarkable 26-0 victory in 2020. It has been on an extended roll since 2011. So, it is not surprising that he has experienced overconfidence in his personality. That could be the factor that has turned him into such a difficult year for Djokovic – at least since he collected his most recent major title at the Australian Australian Open in early February.
After years of laboring as the third wheel in the Federer-Nadal feud, Djokovic made his progress as a personality and player. He created a different, but less powerful, positive identity. He immersed himself in tennis politics, leading in drawing a vague outline of the organization of new players that would improve the number of fellow players, including his average and lower rankings.
As this last fictional event unfolded for Djokovic, he said of the six-month lockdown caused by the epidemic: “I was playing, playing, and I think something like this needs to happen for all of us to happen. Indeed, well, Just take a deep breath and see what’s most important in life. I mean it really touched me. I’m so thankful for this period. “
But the period that he spoke so lovingly turned out to be marked by strange missteps. The first happened in mid-April, when he expressed an anti-vaccination stance on Facebook livestream, saying, “Personally, I am against vaccination, and no one will force me to get vaccinated. You will be able to travel.”
Later in the spring, U.S.T.A. Officials said the U.S. Acknowledging the grand ambition to host the Open, Djokovic emerged as the leading naysayer. He said to face many banned players, vehemently opposing the idea, he said, like everyone else, it could be limited to bringing in a guest. He told Serbia’s Privy TV that the U.S. It would be impossible for them to compete in the open because “they told us to be there, to play right, that’s extreme.”
This trend has led many lower-order players who were struggling financially and did not perform well with the hope of an opportunity to play again – exactly the players Djokovic represents and can fight when and how his players’ organization matures.
The best miscalculation was that Djokovic arranged and presented his vague Adria Tour. However, the Serbian government gave the green light to the enterprise, due to the lack of social distance (the players, led by Djokovic, were filmed shirtless in a crowded Belgrade nightclub), many positive COVID-19 tests took place. Djokovic and his wife were among them, although they showed no symptoms.
“We tried to do something with the right motives,” Djokovic said, citing the trip’s charitable goals. But many were disappointed by Djokovic’s assumption that the tour might not be a bad idea because it was Its Idea.
Djokovic came to New York in need of winning public relations, and he watched for a week-and-a-half if anyone scored. He won the Western and Southern Open, the front end of the “double-in-the-bubble” ending with the US Open. He made grand announcements about the organization of his new players.
“I’m proud that we managed to do that,” he said. “It simply came to our notice then [co-founder] The idea of Vasek Pospisil. We just ran something that the last pay generations of the last 20-plus years have tried to do, and they haven’t succeeded in taking that final step. “
Djokovic also sang a different tune about the US Open and New York City after the UST allowed officials to hold tournaments with slightly less stringent restrictions after the epidemic took a turn for the worse. He talked about how much he loves New York, saying he hopes to come along and play with everyone.
“I congratulate the USTA, the ATP, everyone involved in making this happen,” Djokovic said. “It’s not easy. … It’s not just about the top-100 players, you know. It’s about the tennis ecosystem in general.”
Djokovic likes the term “ecosystem” and was enjoying the ecosystem established for players by the USTA at the National Tennis Center. As a seed player, he had a luxury suite for himself and his officers. He entered the rented domestic tennis center, and expressed sympathy for most of the players who made it difficult, “could not open their windows and stay in the hotel in a small room.”
Andy Murray decided to leave the rented house because of the “cost of astronomy”. He said he is satisfied at the hotel. Women’s rights champion Murray also told the media that he would not sign with Djokovic’s group because the plans did not include women players, which Djokovic later disputed.
“I think they are [Djokovic and Pospisil] Sloane Stephens, a WTA supporter, said he felt he had done the best he could. “Women were not included.”
Others called Djokovic because he was deaf-mute.
Winner is a tonic, a great remedy for almost any challenge in an athlete’s life. The agency told Djokovic that whatever the -0 record by that brilliant is a powerful force. His success in the game of inches has long been remarkable. It’s easy to see how he gets used to it. It can fill a man with hubris, he thinks he is imperfect.
And then it’s not.
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