Despite his victory against Cameron Norrie, Novak Djokovic is not losing his temper. He didn’t appreciate the Briton hitting him in the calf with his back turned.
This Tuesday, Novak Djokovic qualified for the quarter-finals of the Masters 1000 in Rome. The Serb won in two sets (6-3, 6-4), against Briton Cameron Norrie in 1h29 of play. A meeting during which the latter sent a smash in the calf of the world number 1. Despite a furtive gesture of apology from Norrie, “Nole” was furious.
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“I watched the replay. I don’t know if he saw me. But I think you can always see where the player is positioned on the pitch. The ball was very slow and very close to the net. I turned around because the point was over for me. He has the right to take a medical time-out (just before Djokovic served for the match, editor’s note), hitting a player, saying “come on” in my face after more or less every point. It’s not fair play, it’s not how we behave with each other. But it is allowed”reacted Novak Djokovic after the meeting.
Oh the dark look of Djokovic! 😬
The tension went up a notch when Cameron Norrie hit Djokovic in the ankles with a powerful smash! The Serb didn’t like it at all… #HomeOfTennis #IBI23 pic.twitter.com/buK7hf9Fm1
— Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) May 16, 2023
Even if he admits to appreciating Norrie in everyday life, the “Djoker” does not understand the behavior of the Briton in competition. “Cameron is a really nice guy off the court and we’ve always gotten along so I don’t understand that kind of attitude on the court. But it’s like that. He set the fire and I answered. I’m not going to let anyone behave like this and hang their heads. I will answer. But what happens on the pitch, we leave it on the pitch and move on.”concluded the man with 22 Grand Slam titles.
