WATCH: Novak Djokovic kicks his brother out during Adelaide final – ‘I’m sure they didn’t have such a blast’
Novak Djokovic thanked his team for “tolerating him in the good and bad times” after members of his entourage, including his brother, were ordered to leave the court during the Adelaide International 1 final.
The 21-time Grand Slam winner took on Sebastian Korda in Sunday’s showpiece match at the Memorial Drive Tennis Centre and it was a tasty match as the American gave him a good run for his money.
Although Djokovic saved seven set points in the opening set, Korda won it via the tie-breaker. The top seed then saved a match point in the second set before taking drawing level – also via the tie-breaker – and he wrapped up the match with a break in game 10 of the deciding set – claiming a 6-7 (8-10), 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 victory.
But the win was not without drama as Djokovic furiously gestured and shouted at his team after the tight first set, prompting his brother Marko and another man to leave the arena.
Novak #Djokovic yelling to his box in Italian to get out after the first set loss against Korda. Looks like his agents and brother Marko left promptly.
📺: @sportklub pic.twitter.com/py6d21p1Ir
— Luka Nikolić (@luksie1) January 8, 2023
Djokovic didn’t quite explain why he asked the duo to leave during the post-match interviews.
“I’d like to thank my team for handling me, tolerating me in the good and bad times,” he said.
“I’m sure they didn’t have such a blast with me going back and forth with them. But, you know, I appreciate them being here.
“My brother Marko was also here. I don’t see him that much. So, I appreciate you coming here, Marko. Love you.”
Before the tournament started, Djokovic took to Instagram to express how excited he was that Marko joined him for this year’s trip to Australia.
“Great to be back in Australia 🇦🇺,” he wrote. “And after 15 years excited to play in Adelaide,Kaurna Land 🙏🙌 Looking forward to play some good tennis 🎾💪
“Glad to have my brother Marko @djokomare with me and my team for 2023 season @goranivanisevicofficial @zimaglia @marco_panichi1 @xarlygomezh #Edoardo Artaldi #Elena Cappellaro #Miljan Amanovic”
During the post-match press conference he also played down the hamstring injury that he sustained during his semi-final win over Daniil Medvedev on Saturday.
“I woke up all right. Went deep into night last night with work done with the physio. Talk with the doctors, as well, of the tournament, et cetera. There was a lot of care going into today’s match about the hamstring. It was all right,” he said.
“Few times in the match I felt was tightening up, the muscle, but nothing that would worry me for my performance.”
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