Novak Djokovic launches racket, nearly hitting Serbia Open ball boy

Novak Djokovic’s comeback tour is not going specifically to strategy.

Footage from the globe No. 1’s Serbia Open loss to Russia’s Andrey Rublev on Sunday exhibits Djokovic’s racket traveling out of his hand towards a ball boy. Enthusiasts and analysts are scratching their heads to ascertain whether the racket throw was intentional or not.

Following shedding a stage in the match, Djokovic’s racket was sent spiraling towards the ball boy, who deftly dodged the projectile. Clips present that the racket was thrown from effectively guiding the baseline to the ball boy’s location around the net. Footage from other angles make it surface as even though Djokovic dropped regulate of his racket as he attempted to return Rublev’s floor stroke.

Tennis reporter Ben Rothenberg wrote in a now-deleted tweet, “Bad news is that he, like other folks on ATP, however has a serious dilemma with launching reckless projectiles in anger that hit/approximately strike people.”

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic was accused of throwing his racket at a ball boy.
Getty Photographs

Whilst the situations encompassing the racket by way of stay murky, Djokovic has a lengthy record of racket abuse.

The 34-12 months-previous was criticized for his flameout at the Tokyo Olympics previous summer months when he released his racket into the empty stands and smashed an additional adhering to his bronze medal match defeat at the arms of Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta.

In 2020, the 20-time Grand Slam champion was disqualified from the U.S. Open up right after hurling his racket toward a tournament official.

Rublev clinched the match and the Serbia Open up crown 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 6-, denying Djokovic his initially title of the calendar year.

The top-rated player has has only competed three occasions given that his contentious deportation from Australia in January. In his earlier two tournaments, Djokovic was eliminated in the quarterfinals at the Dubai Open and in the second spherical of the Monte-Carlo Masters. Djokovic is doing the job towards defending his French Open up title.

“Things are progressing bit by bit but surely, Paris is the large intention and hopefully by Paris I’ll be all set,” Djokovic mentioned. “I apologize due to the fact of the way the third established unfolded. It’s an specific activity, when anything fails, the motor just can't operate.

Djokovic is thinking of boycotting Wimbledon this calendar year due to the tournament’s ban on all Russian and Belarusian gamers owing to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Novak Djokovic launches racket, nearly hitting Serbia Open ball boy

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