(VIDEO) "He literally stopped": Controversial moment during Novak Djokovic's defeat against Luca Nardi as World No.1 vents at umpire
ATPTuesday, 12 March 2024 at 17:00
As well as being dumped out by Luca Nardi, Novak Djokovic was left frustrated by the umpire in an all around bad night at the office for the World Number One. He was dumped out by the Italian 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. This marks the first time in his career that he has been beaten by a lucky loser.
But he also had a meltdown in which he believed Nardi stopped during a point with the umpire not calling a hinderance and as a result angering the Serbian ace. He went to the umpire chair fuming and despite wanting a call to be made, the umpire stood firm in his understanding of the situation.
“He reacted to the call, he didn’t make the call. He didn’t actually stop the point," said the umpire.
“He literally stopped,” Djokovic told the umpire who replied saying there was no hindrance call to be made.
“Just because he stops it doesn’t mean the point stops," replied the umpire. “Just because he stops it doesn’t mean the point stops… what are you talking about? You saw that reaction, he literally stopped. He completely confused me and I stopped as well," responded Djokovic. "How can you not make that judgement? Are you blagging me or what?”
“Are you wanting me to call a hindrance?" continued the umpire to which Djokovic did ask for this. “Of course! Because he stopped. The guy stopped and he played the ball like this.”
But he was denied it by the umpire. “Just because he stops it doesn’t mean it’s ground for hindrance.”
“My point is that it is not grounds for him to lose the point. If he would’ve come up saying ‘out’ or pointing out then I would agree with you 100 per cent, but since he didn’t do anything to stop the point…”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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