Novak Djokovic slammed for post-match comments after Vienna Open exit by tournament head

Novak Djokovic is once again at the centre of an unintended controversy this year. The World No. 1 cannot seem to catch a break in 2020. Things started going downhill for Djokovic during the lockdown after his Adria Tour turned in a super spreader event.

On his return to the tour, after he had recovered from the virus, Djokovic won the Cincinnati Masters to complete his second golden Masters 1000, and the Rome Masters 1000 title, which became a record-breaking 36th Masters 1000 title for him. He then received massive negative press for his US Open disqualification and his loss to Rafael Nadal at the French Open to round off a roller-coaster year. 

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Djokovic ranking and Vienna controversy

Now, Djokovic is in line for a record-breaking run at No. 1. If he manages to hold on to the top spot till March 8, 2021, Djokovic will overtake Federer's record of most weeks spent as No. 1. The closest to overtake him is No. 2 Rafael Nadal. 

By the revised ATP rules, players can retain points from events they played last year. Since he won the Paris Masters 1000 in 2019, Djokovic announced that he would return to the Vienna Open - a Masters 500 tournament - for the first time since his win there in 2007.

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Unofficially, he needed just two wins at the tournament to secure at least a year-end No. 1 finish. Having secured that, Djokovic was still expected to fight for the title and clinch all 500 points. It is clear that Vienna's tournament director Herwig Straka also expected more effort from the Serb. After his shock 6-2, 6-1 defeat to Lorenzo Sonego, Djokovic made some statements at the press conference that put off Straka.

“Yes, clinching the [year-end] number one had an effect on me today,” Djokovic said after the match, “I’ve done what I came here for, securing the number one. And I move completely fine with today’s result."

Considering this was statistically Djokovic's worst defeat in his career, he seemed uncharacteristically unperturbed. In a chat with Der Standard, Straka all but accused the World No. 1 of throwing the game, which is against tennis rules, saying, “I find such statements unnecessary, even if you would think so, you don’t say that in any press conference.”

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Can Djokovic break Federer's No. 1 record?

Djokovic will next be seen at the Nitto ATP Finals 2020 in London where he will be seeking his sixth title. With 11,830 points to Nadal's 9,850 (which could become 10,850 if he wins in Paris), Djokovic's best hope will be to secure a win at the ATP Finals 2020. In 2021, Djokovic will look to clinch the Australian Open where he will be the defending champion, and a few smaller tournaments in order to win the record he so desperately seems to want.

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Image Credits: Novak Djokovic website