Djokovic criticized for his attitude towards his juniors

American tennis player Novak Djokovic shook his head and appeared annoyed as he shook hands after losing to 20-year-old Luca Nardi at the Indian Wells Masters on March 12.

The video footage after the match shows Djokovic seemingly reiterating the controversial point Nardi scored in the second set. In that point, Nardi initially intended to drop the ball but then returned it and scored a winner. Djokovic told the umpire that his opponent had stopped the ball, requesting a replay of the point, but was refused.

Djokovic and Nardi went their separate ways, with Nardi leading 5-3 in the third set. Photo: ESPN

The shot was controversial but not illegal. According to the umpire, Nardi's momentary pause did not mean the point was over. Djokovic was actually still rushing the net for a drop shot and deliberately stopped when he saw his opponent return a cross-court shot for a point.

American tennis journalist Ricky Dimon, who was covering the Indian Wells Masters in California live, argued that Djokovic shouldn't have reacted angrily and brought up the point after the match ended. "First, that point wasn't the reason Djokovic lost. Second, the umpire made the right decision," Dimon wrote on X.

Only Nardi could hear what Djokovic said, but Nole's frowning face and repeated headshakes disappointed many fans. "A shameful act by Djokovic. That 20-year-old did nothing wrong. Djokovic is in trouble and trying to shift the blame," one user commented under Dimon's post.

Nardi is the lowest-ranked player to have beaten Djokovic at a Masters 1000 or Grand Slam event. The Serbian player still praised his younger opponent in the post-match press conference, saying: "Nardi played brilliantly, and I played terribly. Both of those things happening together today led to this result."

Nardi, immediately after defeating Djokovic, lost to home seed Tommy Paul 4-6, 3-6 in the fourth round. However, the young Italian talent will enter the ATP top 100 for the first time when the rankings are updated next week.

Vy Anh

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