Novak Djokovic could not contain his emotions after suffering a complete meltdown during his round of 32 loss to Luca Nardi at Indian Wells.
In this tournament, which is called the fifth major tennis tournament, the world No. 1 player was defeated by the world No. 123 player in a scene that shocked fans.
However, the 36-year-old lost his mind in the second set and stole the spotlight from the result.
His ugly outburst when he lost points and service games threw the tennis world into turmoil, with many blaming the Serb.
But now his actions in the aftermath of that historic loss are shining an even uglier light on the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
As Djokovic approached the net to shake hands with his Italian opponent, he lashed out at Djokovic on what he considered a point of contention.
“It’s not right, but bravo. It’s not right, but bravo. It’s not right, but bravo. No, no, no. Bravo,” Djokovic reportedly told his rival at the net.
The incident was jarring to tennis fans, as many were quick to condemn Djokovic for his ugly behavior.
Tennis journalist Ricky Dimon said, “It’s scary that Djokovic brought up the stop play when he waved Nardi’s hand at the net, because 1) it had nothing to do with the outcome of the match, and 2) ) It wasn’t Nardi’s decision, writes 3). The referee made the right decision. “Stoppage” always occurs, but is never called. ”
Another user wrote, “I really thought he apologized online, but I was wrong. He actually said, ‘Non ela justo, perro bravo.’ What you did was wrong, but you did it well.” Totally shameful, Novak!” He didn’t do anything wrong, you’re just a competitive guy! ”
Fans sprung into action following the mid-match incident, quickly highlighting that Djokovic used the exact same tactic in the 2016 US Open final against Stan Wawrinka.
Djokovic lost to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open semi-finals, making it his only second loss to an Italian in 2024.
“Congratulations to him for playing some great, great tennis, especially in the third set,” Djokovic said after the match.
“He came in as the lucky loser of the main draw so he really had nothing to lose. He played great and deserved to win.
“I was even more surprised at how high my level was. My level was really, really bad. That’s it. Those two things combine. He’s having a great day. A really bad day. The results were negative for me.”
While Djokovic returns home, Nardi will face American Tommy Paul in the round of 16 on Thursday.
