Novak Djokovic narrowly avoids Australian Open disqualification after angry outburst
Novak Djokovic lost his temper during his Australian Open third round match against Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp and came perilously close to being disqualified mid-way through the second set.
Djokovic was control of the match after taking the first set and Van de Zandschulp appeared to be close to retiring from the match as he struggled with a shoulder problem and was being treated by the tournament trainer.
Yet he battled on and fought back from 3-0 down, with his recovery clearly annoying 10-time Australian Open champion.
After his opponent missed a shot, Djokovic lashed out and smashed the ball in anger that flew past the ball kid at the net at high speed.
If the ball had taken a slightly different path, Djokovic would have almost certainly have been thrown out of a second Grand Slam tournament of his colourful career.
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Djokovic infamously hit a linesperson at the 2020 US Open and it seems that incident has not taught him a lesson and this incident in Melbourne could have been a repeat almost six years later.
“Oh my goodness,” said former British No 1 Tim Henman as he watch the incident unfold in his role as a TNT Sports correspondent.
Commentator Nick Lester and Henman then suggested Djokovic would not be having an eye contact with the chair umpire after a near miss that could have ended what may be his final attempt to win a remarkable 11th Australian Open title.
Djokovic’s hopes of winning in Melbourne have been dismissed by tennis legend John McEnroe, but former British No 1 Greg Rusedski suggests it is wrong to write off the most successful male tennis player of all-time.
“I thought it was really interesting to hear McEnroe’s comments that he doesn’t feel Novak can beat Alcaraz and Sinner back-to-back,” said Rusedski on an episode of his Off Court Cuts podcast.
“We all feel that, but boy was he good in his opening round and let’s look at one statistic. 100 wins Down Under in Australia and he has done that in three of the four Slams.
“The only one he hasn’t done it is in the US Open. 400 wins at majors! Most people don’t do that on all of the tournaments they play. Don’t discount Novak if he can move through the rounds easily.
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“Everyone was talking about his neck being a little bit sore and asking whether he would be healthy enough, but he knows how to manage his body. That’s why he’s the GOAT.
“At the age of 38, he’s playing better than 97 or 98 of the players in the top 100 in the world. It was an impressive opener and he saved a lot of energy.
“With Novak, he’s talking big. He’s had an incredible record down in Australia, so don’t ever discount a great legend.”
Djokovic’s incident packed match against Van de Zandschulp took another turn as he suffered an injury scare after a tumble in the third set.
