Published 12:01 IST, September 21st 2020
Novak Djokovic loses his temper AGAIN on court during Rome Masters 2020; watch video
Less than 14 days after getting defaulted from the US Open for accidentally hitting a line judge, Novak Djokovic made headlines for his temper once again.
Novak Djokovic can be faulted for many things, but self-awareness is not quite one of them. Less than 10 days after the World No.1 said in an interview that he could not promise a repeat of his US Open fiasco would never happen again, he has had another outburst on-court. Djokovic smashed his racquet into the clay court in frustration after suffering a break of serve to love at his Rome Masters 1000 quarter-final against German qualifier Dominik Koepfer.
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Novak Djokovic has another outburst at Rome Masters 2020
Less than 14 days after getting defaulted from the US Open for accidentally hitting a lineswoman with a ball, Novak Djokovic once again made headlines for his temper. During his quarter-final match against Koepfer, Djokovic reacted to a swift break of serve by the German by smashing his racquet into the ground, breaking the frame and the strings. As the rules dictate, he received a racket abuse violation for this outburst.
Having vented his frustrations on the racquet though, Djokovic went on to win the first set 6-3. After some bad service games from Novak Djokovic, the second set went in favour of Koepfer 6-4. However, the unseeded German could not prove equal to Djokovic, who closed out the match with another 6-3 win.
Talking about the incident at the post-match interview, Djokovic said that it was "not the first nor the last racket" that he would break in his career. Djokovic also accepted that it was not the best example to set for younger players watching him, saying: “That’s how I guess, I release sometimes my anger and it’s definitely not the best message out there, especially for the young tennis players looking at me, and I don’t encourage that – definitely. That’s just me, of course, I’m not perfect and I’m doing my best.” Djokovic's 97th-ranked opponent also found himself at the end of a warning for misbehaviour early in the third set.
Novak Djokovic advances to his 10th Rome Master final
Novak Djokovic is all set to make his 10th appearance at the Rome Master finals after his victory over Norwegian Casper Ruud in the Rome Masters 2020 semi-finals yesterday. Joker made easy work of the youngster, defeating him 7-5, 6-3 to make yet another final; his second consecutive one at this event. This will also give Djokovic the chance to overtake his arch-rival, Rafael Nadal with whom he currently shares the record of 35 ATP Masters100 titles. A 36th ATP Masters 1000 title win here at Rome Masters 2020 will be the Men's singles record.
Djokovic will face Argentina's Diego Schwartzman in the final at 8:30 pm IST on September 21. He will be aiming for a 5th title at Rome Masters 2020. He has a 4-0 head-to-head record against his opponent Diego Schwartzman, including one at this very event last year. Djokovic will next be seen competing at French Open 2020.
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Image Credits: AP
Video Credits: Alihuen Kapasi (@AlihusenK) Twitter
Updated 12:01 IST, September 21st 2020