Novak Djokovic in the Spotlight for Controversial Behavior at Tokyo Olympics

Novak Djokovic has been blasted again for his controversial behavior on the court after failing to win a bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics. The Serbian star suffered a defeat to little-known Pablo Carreno Busta, leaving many talking over his inability to accept loss gracefully. 

The world No 1 threw his racket into the stands, prompting concerns from people over the globe, as the racket closely missed the few spectators. Djokovic then pulled out of the mixed doubles bronze medal match with Nina Stojanovic over concerns that he was mentally and physically exhausted. 

Former British No 1 Annabel Croft was unimpressed by the Serb’s antics and believed he wasn’t setting a good impression. “It was an interesting scenario in that final set,” declared Eurosport and Discovery+ tennis expert Croft.

“He missed a volley, he’s down a break already and the frustration just boiled over. He smashed his racket up against the net post, gets a warning. He does a good job of completely annihilating that racquet! It’s almost splintered! Then chucks the racket into the crowd, well there’s not a crowd but somebody standing quite close by. It wasn’t in frustration.”

“Carreno Busta hadn’t even seen him do it but his team behind him was asking him why he didn’t get a warning for putting that racket into the stands. I think it was almost a little bit of needle bearing in mind what I’ve just said about the history between these two.”

“He was clearly trying to get the umpire to give him another warning. Who knows whether that would have meant disqualification again or what have you.”

“So it was quite an interesting moment and showed a lot of tension between the two of them and unfortunately for Djokovic, he couldn’t contain his emotions out there and it was Carreno Busta who came through.”

Djokovic has already been in the spotlight of late for antics on the court and off the court.

YouTube Link; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43oSxSxmnnE

Is The Future Of Tennis In The Olympics In Danger?

Tennis match

The upcoming Rio Olympics have been mired in controversy ever since the games were announced in 2009.

Commentators and observers have raised concerns about the corruption and instability of Brazil’s government, Rio’s alarming crime rate, the lack of or weaknesses in the existing infrastructure, pollution problems, and the significant health and safety concerns which include the potential threat of the Zika virus.

But the controversies don’t end here. Many are raising questions about the future of tennis in the Olympics after various high profile players have pulled out of the contests. Although everyone has their own reasons for not taking part in the Olympics, the overwhelming takeaway seems to be that many players are angry over the absence of prize money and ranking points.

Among those players is Latvian Ernests Gulbis who announced he would not be attending the Olympics while calling it “tennis tourism.” Another notable absence is that of the tennis legend Roger Federer. The 17-time Grand Slam champion is not attending the event due to fears of injury and the Zika virus.

Some of the other notable players not attending the event include Milos Raonic, Dominic Thiem, Tomas Berdych, Richard Gasquet, Feliciano Lopez, Nick Kyrgios, and John Isner. Among the women, Victoria Azarenka, Karolina Pliskova, Simona Halep, and Belinda Bencic will not grace the Olympics with their presence.

With concerns over the Olympics not being as important as Grand Slam events for many of the prominent players, it would be exciting to see what the future holds for tennis in the Olympics