USUALLY SO CALM on the court, Novak Djokovic lost his cool in the aftermath of his ATP World Tour Finals victory over Dominic Thiem yesterday when he was questioned about his behaviour.
The Serb, playing in his first tournament since losing his number one status to Andy Murray, recovered impressively from losing the opening set to beat Thiem 6-7 (10-12) 6-0 6-2 at London’s O2 Arena on Sunday.
In the opening match of the traditional season-ending tournament, Djokovic was warned for unsportsmanlike conduct when he smashed the ball in the direction of his box after losing the first set.
And when he subsequently addressed the media, Djokovic appeared less than impressed to have been asked about the incident.
A reporter asked Djokovic: “Does it concern you one day that will cost you dearly? If you hit someone..”
“You guys are unbelievable,” came the reply. “You’re always picking these kind of things. I’m the only player that shows his frustration on the court? That’s what you are saying?
“It’s not an issue for me. It’s not the first time I did it.”
When it was suggested that the ball could have hit a spectator and caused a serious incident, Djokovic sarcastically responded: “It could have been, yes. It could have snowed in the O2 Arena as well, but it didn’t.”
Prior to the frosty exchange, the reigning World Tour Finals champion had reflected on his triumph over Thiem.
“Even though I lost the first set, I thought I didn’t do too many things wrong. It was just the very high quality of his game that prevailed in the first set,” said Djokovic.
“I knew after that, the first games of the second set would be crucial for me to start with a break up, which I did. I felt more comfortable. I started swinging more freely in the second set. He started making more errors, which I used.
“I was on top of his second serves, putting a lot of pressure. I thought I played very well in the second set especially, but the third as well.”
The42 is on Snapchat! Tap the button below on your phone to add!
