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PARIS, FRANCE: Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns a backhand in his semi final match against Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria on day 6 of the Rolex Paris Masters, part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 held at the at AccorHotels Arena in Paris, France. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
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PARIS, FRANCE: Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns a backhand in his semi final match against Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria on day 6 of the Rolex Paris Masters, part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 held at the at AccorHotels Arena in Paris, France. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
Despite being one of the greatest players of all time, Novak Djokovic mostly finds the crowd backing his opponent on the court. Unlike his two biggest adversaries, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who receive the love and adulation of fans all across the world, Djokovic is loved way less by comparison.
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VIENNA, AUSTRIA: Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts during his quarter finals match against Lorenzo Sonego of Italy on day seven of the Erste Bank Open tennis tournament at Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria. (Photo by Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images)
Recently, when the top-ranked American, John Isner, withdrew from the upcoming Australian Open, he received a host of hateful messages on Twitter for deciding to pull out. Isner backed out of the Australian Open because of the strict quarantine protocols which would have meant staying away from his family for long. The American hit back with a tweet about receiving toxic messages from some hateful tennis fans on Twitter.
“Man, there are some really hateful tennis fans on Twitter. Toxic stuff. Be happy, people!” tweeted Isner.
Man, there are some really hateful tennis fans on Twitter. Toxic stuff. Be happy, people!
— John Isner (@JohnIsner) January 12, 2021
Isner replies to Novak Djokovic’s fan
Interestingly, a Djokovic fan replied to Isner’s post by tweeting about the way journalists and tennis fans treat the Serbian. Going by the handle ‘Novak Fan England’, the fan tweeted, “Hateful journalists too. Have you seen the way they treat Novak? They are really toxic”.
After reading the reply, Isner immediately replied by tweeting “Yep”, acknowledging the statement of Djokovic’s fan.
Yep
— John Isner (@JohnIsner) January 12, 2021
Last year, the 17-time Grand Slam champion received widespread criticism when he organized the Adria Tour, which went against social-distancing measures. The move resulted in many top players contracting the coronavirus, including Djokovic and his wife Jelena.
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK: Novak Djokovic of Serbia walks off the court after being defaulted due to inadvertently striking a lineswoman Laura Clark with a ball hit in frustration during his Men’s Singles fourth round match against Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain on Day Seven of the 2020 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
A few months after the Adria Tour incident, Djokovic resigned as the president of the ATP Council and formed his own player’s association. His decision divided the tennis world, with most of his big-rivals refusing to extend their support.
However, the biggest debacle happened at the 2020 US Open when Djokovic accidentally smacked a ball at the line’s judge during his quarterfinal match, which led to his disqualification. Former players and tennis fans condemned Djokovic’s unruly behavior, and it was probably the lowest point in his career.
