Novak Djokovic criticized top-ranked British tennis player Cameron Norrie following their match at the Italian Open earlier this month over what Djokovic felt was a lack of sportsmanship.
Now, Norrie is returning the criticism.
Cameron Norrie celebrates a point against Benoit Paire at the French Open at Roland Garros on May 29, 2023, in Paris. (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Djokovic called out Norrie following their fourth-round match at the Italian Open after Norrie hit the 22-time Grand Slam champion in the leg with a tennis ball after Djokovic had already conceded the point.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC CALLS OUT ITALIAN OPEN OPPONENT OVER LACK OF SPORTSMANSHIP AFTER GETTING HIT BY BALL
After advancing to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-4 win, Djokovic addressed his frustrations during a post-match presser where he admitted that it would be possible to argue the hit wasn’t deliberate, but it was a combination of incidents during that match that he considered not to be “fair play.”
“It was not so much maybe about that, but it was a combination of things. From the very beginning, I don’t know – he was doing all the things that were allowed. He’s allowed to take a medical timeout. He’s allowed to hit a player. He’s allowed to say, ‘Come on,’ in the face more or less every single point from basically the first game,” Djokovic said.
Novak Djokovic reacts during the men’s singles match against Cameron Norrie of at Foro Italico on May 16, 2023, in Rome, Italy. (Giampiero Sposito/Getty Images)
“Those are the things that we players know in the locker room it’s not fair play, it’s not how we treat each other, but again it’s allowed.”
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Norrie did not address Djokovic’s comments until his first-round victory at the French Open this week, where he suggested that the Serbian tennis player also took advantage of the rules.
“He wanted some more time on the physio bed and the match was scheduled for 11 a.m.,” Norrie said. “And we walked out maybe 11:12 a.m., 11:13 a.m. I don’t think he saw any problem with that.”
“He never said anything to me. And he never apologized… I’ve never seen that before from any player. Regardless if it’s a tennis match or not, you turn up on time for whatever it is.”
Cameron Norrie plays a forehand against Novak Djokovic on May 16, 2023, in Rome. (Giampiero Sposito/Getty Images)
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Norrie also said he apologized to Djokovic after accidentally hitting him with the ball, adding that he “didn’t see him.”
“I wanted to win, it was one of those matches where he’s one of the best players in the world and I wanted to play my best and compete as hard as I could. I didn’t think I was in his face at all. I think, if anyone knows me, I’m pretty vocal in some matches. It was a regular tennis match for me. I was feeling my hip a little bit and I took the medical timeout. It is within the rules. And for him also it’s in the rules to start the match on his time – being late.”
Amid his war of words with Norrie, Djokovic is also facing backlash for making a political statement regarding the recent conflict in Kosovo between ethnic Serbs and ethnic Albanians in the northern region.
