Novak Djokovic criticized top-ranked British tennis participant Cameron Norrie following their match on the Italian Open earlier this month over what Djokovic felt was an absence of sportsmanship.
Now, Norrie is returning the criticism.
Cameron Norrie celebrates a degree towards Benoit Paire on the French Open at Roland Garros on May 29, 2023, in Paris. (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Djokovic referred to as out Norrie following their fourth-round match on the Italian Open after Norrie hit the 22-time Grand Slam champion within the leg with a tennis ball after Djokovic had already conceded the purpose.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC CALLS OUT ITALIAN OPEN OPPONENT OVER LACK OF SPORTSMANSHIP AFTER GETTING HIT BY BALL
After advancing to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-4 win, Djokovic addressed his frustrations throughout a post-match presser the place he admitted that it could be attainable to argue the hit wasn’t deliberate, however it was a mixture of incidents throughout that match that he thought-about to not be “fair play.”
“It was not so much maybe about that, but it was a combination of things. From the very beginning, I don’t know – he was doing all the things that were allowed. He’s allowed to take a medical timeout. He’s allowed to hit a player. He’s allowed to say, ‘Come on,’ in the face more or less every single point from basically the first game,” Djokovic stated.
Novak Djokovic reacts throughout the males’s singles match towards Cameron Norrie of at Foro Italico on May 16, 2023, in Rome, Italy. (Giampiero Sposito/Getty Images)
“Those are the things that we players know in the locker room it’s not fair play, it’s not how we treat each other, but again it’s allowed.”
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Norrie didn’t handle Djokovic’s feedback till his first-round victory on the French Open this week, the place he instructed that the Serbian tennis participant additionally took benefit of the foundations.
“He wanted some more time on the physio bed and the match was scheduled for 11 a.m.,” Norrie stated. “And we walked out maybe 11:12 a.m., 11:13 a.m. I don’t think he saw any problem with that.”
“He never said anything to me. And he never apologized… I’ve never seen that before from any player. Regardless if it’s a tennis match or not, you turn up on time for whatever it is.”
Cameron Norrie performs a forehand towards Novak Djokovic on May 16, 2023, in Rome. (Giampiero Sposito/Getty Images)
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Norrie additionally stated he apologized to Djokovic after unintentionally hitting him with the ball, including that he “didn’t see him.”
“I wanted to win, it was one of those matches where he’s one of the best players in the world and I wanted to play my best and compete as hard as I could. I didn’t think I was in his face at all. I think, if anyone knows me, I’m pretty vocal in some matches. It was a regular tennis match for me. I was feeling my hip a little bit and I took the medical timeout. It is within the rules. And for him also it’s in the rules to start the match on his time – being late.”
Amid his confrontation with Norrie, Djokovic can also be dealing with backlash for making a political assertion relating to the latest battle in Kosovo between ethnic Serbs and ethnic Albanians within the northern area.