French Open controversy: fans cry foul over double standards towards Djokovic

Tennis fans on social media lamented the double standard faced by Serbia’s Novak Djokovic after the world number one Jannik Sinner was allowed to have a physio on the court during the semifinal of the French Open.

The 22-year-old lost in the last-four clash at the Roland Garros to Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set thriller on Friday, with a score of 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

During the contest, Sinner was seen struggling with cramps, and he even had a physiotherapist on the court for medical treatment.

After the match, tennis fans on social media lamented the double standard in men’s tennis, especially regarding Djokovic.

"Just imagine headlines if it was Novak… Hypocrisy at its best,” one fan wrote. "If this was Novak, we all know what would the comments be like," another fan wrote. “"And where is supervisor to monitor Sinner??? He was there when Novak ask for medical time out. So disrespectful to Novak," a fan wrote.

Social media is angry at the tennis administration. Djokovic was handed a time penalty in the third-round contest of the French Open for receiving medical treatment. That decision led to criticism from some of the current and former players. The match ended at three in the morning, which was the latest in the history of the Grand Slam.

Djokovic won the third-round contest against Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in a five-set thriller, 7-5, 6-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-0. The current world number two then went on to win the fourth round contest in another five-setter against Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo with a score of 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.

During that contest, Djokovic, who is going through a difficult season where he has not played in the final of any event, suffered a knee injury, which forced him to withdraw from the French Open just before the start of the quarterfinal against Norway’s Casper Ruud.