Novak Djokovic says Cameron Norrie crossed the road of how tennis gamers deal with one another after they performed out a heated match on the Italian Open on Wednesday morning.
Djokovic moved by means of to the quarter-finals though there was stress with the Briton after the highest seed was hit by a smash.
Djokovic was seething after Norrie struck him with the ball after the Serbian had already turned his again.
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Djokovic turned and gave his opponent a demise stare after the purpose — and it was simply the beginning of the drama.
The 35-year-old barely checked out Norrie as they got here collectively for an icy handshake on the web after Djokovic’s 6-3, 6-4 victory.
Djokovic continued to offer it to Norrie when talking throughout his submit match press convention.
Norrie had the entire court docket to place the ball away as Djokovic had given up on the purpose and was strolling again to the service line.
The Briton raised his hand to apologise however on the changeover after Norrie moved to 3-2, Djokovic gave him one other lengthy stare as he handed him.
And after Djokovic sealed victory together with his second match level he gave Norrie a cursory handshake on the web, whereas avoiding eye contact and with out exchanging a single phrase together with his dispatched opponent.
Leading tennis journalist Jose Morgado wrote on Twitter: “That was TENSE at the net, with Norrie hitting Djokovic’s body after he turned his back.
“Didn’t need that… Nole was furious.”
Djokovic later defined that he had been irritated by Norrie’s on-court behaviour for the reason that begin of the match, doing “things that we players know in the locker room it’s not fair play”.
Norrie was shouting “come on” on the finish of some factors and most notable took a medical day trip earlier than Djokovic got here out to serve for the match.
“He’s very nice guy off the court, so I don’t understand this kind of attitude on the court, to be honest. But it is what it is. He brought the fire, and I responded to that,” mentioned Djokovic.
“I’m not going to allow someone behaving like this just bending my head. I’m going to respond to that.
“That’s all it is. What happens on the court, we leave it on the court, and we move on.”
Djokovic appeared to say Norrie crossed the road
“I don’t know if he saw me. Peripherally you can always see where a player is on the court,” he mentioned.
“I just turned around because the point was over for me. It was not so much about that, as maybe a combination of things. From the very beginning he was doing all the things that are allowed.
“He’s allowed to take a medical timeout, he’s allowed to hit a player, he’s allowed to say “C’mon” in your face roughly on each single level from mainly the primary recreation.
“Those are the things the players know in the locker room, it’s not fair play, it’s not how we treat each other.”
Djokovic reached the final eight in every of his earlier 16 appearances within the Italian capital to arrange a conflict with Holger Rune in a event which is a key warm-up for the French Open.
It shall be a rematch of final 12 months’s Paris Masters ultimate, when the 20-year-old Dane gained his first Masters 1000 title by beating Djokovic in an exhilarating match.
“Even though he’s really young, I know his game quite well. He’s been on the tour now for last few years playing some great tennis, particularly in the last I would say six to eight months,” mentioned Djokovic.
“He’s in very good form and I look forward to a challenge. I think it’s going to be a very physical match.”
Djokovic is gunning for a seventh title on clay in Rome and his possibilities have been made a bit of simpler by the shock elimination of Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday.
Alcaraz, who gained two consecutive tournaments at Barcelona and Madrid, will take world primary spot from Djokovic on May 22 however it’s the 22-time Grand Slam champion who may go into Roland Garros with one more title underneath his belt.
Third seed Daniil Medvedev got here by means of 6-2, 7-6 (7/3) towards Alexander Zverev, Casper Ruud dispatched Laslo Djere, and Croatian Borna Coric prevailed in three units over Fabian Marozsan, the Hungarian outsider who shocked Carlos Alcaraz within the third spherical.
Fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Lorenzo Sonego 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) in a third-round match which was suspended on Monday as a result of rain to arrange a gathering with one other Italian, Lorenzo Musetti.
Rublev, seeded six, was upset 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-3 by the world’s 101-ranked participant, German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann.
And Italian eighth seed Sinner was despatched packing by Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo 6-7 (3/7), 6-2, 6-2.
In the ladies’s draw, Iga Swiatek took her Rome successful streak to 14 matches with a 6-3, 6-4 success over Donna Vekic.
World primary Swiatek will tackle Elena Rybakina within the quarter-finals after coming by means of the hardest match of her event up to now.
Her bid for a 3rd title in as a few years has been boosted by seeds two to 6 all being eradicated.
— with AFP
Source: www.news.com.au
