Very disappointed at Djokovic's on court behaviour this year...

Djokovic has played well so far in 2015, a bit edgy at times, but when it's mattered he's stepped up his game well- and thus won the three most important tournaments.

However this thread is about Djokovic's behaviour this year, which has not been as good as his tennis.
I've always regarded Djokovic as a top sportsman, in fact I've always thought he's a better sportsman than Nadal and the other top players.
He seems a really nice guy off the court in his interviews, very friendly and has a good sense of humour, and on the court he claps his opponent's shots plenty of times.

This year though I think he's let himself down on a few occasions.
Firstly in Doha when he lost to Karlovic.

Check from 11min 13 second of this clip, he nearly hits one of the line judges with a ball in anger:


His final service game of that match against Karlovic was also very unprofessional, he didn't seem to put much of an effort in, serving and volleying of slow second serves.

Against Dolgo he got a code violation for poor behaviour, then actually lost a point when in the next game he smashed his racket. He had to start the next service game 0-15 down automatically, I rarely see that with top players.

And against Murray yesterday he did this, snatching a towel from the ball boy's hand and scaring him:


He apologised for it afterwards, as he should, and in his apology he still came across as a nice guy off-court; but this bad behaviour is becoming a bit of a trend this year.

I agree. He's going beyond frustration and into rage.

I have mixed feelings about it.

I don't personally like it all. It's childish and embarrassing.

On the other hand, it does usually seem to have a cathartic effect. He goes nuts for a few seconds, which seems to get it out of his system and he plays much better.

He gets s0d all in the way of respect from crowds anyway, so if it is helping him, he may as well do it.

In case anyone wants to see it, here's his apology:

Novak "a better sportsman than Nadal and the other top players....."  

Well you might think so IMBL, but I for one am not buying that.

Nadal has always been regarded as the ultimate example of perfect on-court behaviour, nothing to criticise there. (no complaints to umpires about the weather or his opponents position when waiting to receive, always ready to play as per the rules, no 'accidental' barging of opponents at changeover, as you see with so many players....)

However .... if by "other top players" you're including that Federer guy .....I couldn't agree more. He is just SO much worse than Novak when it comes to unsportsmanlike behaviour. I've lost count of the number of times I've seen him disrespectfully throw empty drinks bottles in the vague direction of the court surrounds. And .....I even once heard him tell some annoyingly boisterous types in the player's box to .....er ....."Be quiet". Such language. The cheek of it !!

But perhaps you're right. Maybe Novak is becoming rather naughty. Makes me wonder whether he's decided  it's time to try & act up and earn himself a bad boy (and, dare I say, more interesting) image, after watching old clips of past legends such as McEnroe, Connors and Nastase.

Now their behaviour really was dodgy. Incorrigible even

Yeah, he does seem tense and under a lot of pressure. At the end of last year he seemed to be enjoying the tennis more and just letting things come to him. He does tend to as Murdoch said blow off some steam and regain his composure. But he does seem to be a bit too emotional. And the ball kid thing obviously he didn't want to scare the kid he just lost his cool and the kid was right there, still he has reign it in. Although part of what makes Djokovic fun for me to watch is that he is a bit up and down and that he wears his emotions on his sleeve.

HM Murdoch wrote:I agree. He's going beyond frustration and into rage.

I have mixed feelings about it.

I don't personally like it all. It's childish and embarrassing.

On the other hand, it does usually seem to have a cathartic effect. He goes nuts for a few seconds, which seems to get it out of his system and he plays much better.

He gets s0d all in the way of respect from crowds anyway, so if it is helping him, he may as well do it.

It does help his game, unlike Murray when he goes a bit mad, but surely there are better ways to turn himself around ?
Also I do think he gets respect form crowds, but after bad behaviour the crowd are less likely to be on his side.

As for the apology video, I did note that in the OP, not only that be he came across as a very nice guy, and sincere too. I don't think he's a bad person, but it's no excuse for losing his cool to that extent.
Snatching the towel away from the ballboy while screaming is not what you'd expect from him. HM, you watch Djokovic more than me, is this a problem that's coming up more this year for Djokovic ?
As I said in the OP, I've actually always seen Djokovic as a better sportsman than many, until this year where I've been left disappointed.

lags72 wrote:
Nadal has always been regarded as the ultimate example of perfect on-court behaviour, nothing to criticise there.

Obviously I don't think that, or I wouldn't have though Djokovic was a better sportsman until this year, would I ?

Regardless, can you please stop with these flaming posts that are clearly inflammatory and designed to create a toxic situation where there is none. Thank you

He's in the midst of a fantastic spell socal, he is comprehensively the world's best right now. Has been for several months.

And so, yes ...... he should be just that little bit more aware that the spotlight is always strongest when you're at the top.

socal1976 wrote:Yeah, he does seem tense and under a lot of pressure. At the end of last year he seemed to be enjoying the tennis more and just letting things come to him. He does tend to as Murdoch said blow off some steam and regain his composure. But he does seem to be a bit too emotional. And the ball kid thing obviously he didn't want to scare the kid he just lost his cool and the kid was right there, still he has reign it in. Although part of what makes Djokovic fun for me to watch is that he is a bit up and down and that he wears his emotions on his sleeve.

These days he seems to be losing his cool every time he loses a set. I remember him getting smashing his racket after being broken back by Federer.
Maybe it's because the standards he expects for himself are so high, he is angry if he even drops serve.

It Must Be Love wrote: HM, you watch Djokovic more than me, is this a problem that's coming up more this year for Djokovic ?

Yes, I'd say it was worse this year.

He went through a similar period in the spring of 2012 (Bryan Adams' less successful follow-up ). I think there were a few off-court problems back then but he's in domestic bliss now, so I've no idea what's causing it.

HM Murdoch wrote:

It Must Be Love wrote: HM, you watch Djokovic more than me, is this a problem that's coming up more this year for Djokovic ?

Yes, I'd say it was worse this year.

He went through a similar period in the spring of 2012 (Bryan Adams' less successful follow-up ). I think there were a few off-court problems back then but he's in domestic bliss now, so I've no idea what's causing it.

Yeah, I don't think it's any domestic or family problems, as he said he brought his family to the US for this month.

He seems very calm off-court, this was his response to being called a veteran which I found funny:



And then on April's Fools:

Poor kid, didn't realise it was that bad.

But at the same time, I hope Novak continues these outbursts. I like them. The sport should be adversarial, players should occasionally lose it. Ok, shouldn't have ball boys in the middle of them, but apart from that the rest are great.

Break racquets, scream at your corners, barge into players, tell opposition boxes to shut up... In fact, just have a full on brawl!

Tennis the danny way!

Danny_1982 wrote:Break racquets, scream at your corners, barge into players, tell opposition boxes to shut up... In fact, just have a full on brawl!  

Danny, when I read the OP, I thought to myself "I bet Danny_1982 says he likes it"!

And you did!

Long live 'needle'!

HM Murdoch wrote:

Danny_1982 wrote:Break racquets, scream at your corners, barge into players, tell opposition boxes to shut up... In fact, just have a full on brawl!  

Danny, when I read the OP, I thought to myself "I bet Danny_1982 says he likes it"!

And you did!

Long live 'needle'!

He should have RKO'd the ball boy!

I have never quite been taken in my Novak, the great sportsman. the joker, the mister nice guy. Novak loves to be loved and there is no greater show of this than when he is playing in front of a crowd that is rooting for his opponent. It affects his game, and his general demeanor. I have noticed a difference in him since he became a husband and father, he is vulnerable, and emotional even. Yesterday's display when he snatched the towel from  the ball boy who cringed in fear,  was quite shocking, I wanted to clout him frankly. But he has apologised for it and you cant ask more than that.  The pressure of staying at the top is getting to him I think. But as Ive said about all of the players, they do have their lapses, and displays of emotion.. they are human after all..its when such behaviour becomes the norm.. is when the problem becomes a concern

It Must Be Love wrote:

socal1976 wrote:Yeah, he does seem tense and under a lot of pressure. At the end of last year he seemed to be enjoying the tennis more and just letting things come to him. He does tend to as Murdoch said blow off some steam and regain his composure. But he does seem to be a bit too emotional. And the ball kid thing obviously he didn't want to scare the kid he just lost his cool and the kid was right there, still he has reign it in. Although part of what makes Djokovic fun for me to watch is that he is a bit up and down and that he wears his emotions on his sleeve.

These days he seems to be losing his cool every time he loses a set. I remember him getting smashing his racket after being broken back by Federer.
Maybe it's because the standards he expects for himself are so high, he is angry if he even drops serve.

I think a great deal of it has to do with the high expectations he has of himself and his game. He puts pressure on himself and demands more from himself than the vast majority of the top pros. But he seems very tense to me, I was frankly surprised he won this tournament because the look on his face for much of it was almost like he was hoping someone would play well enough in the early rounds to knock him out.

He is edgier this year for sure. Maybe he realises the gilt edged chance he has over maybe the next 2 years to start thinking about Mr Federers milestone, and its pushing him more when he loses a set.

On the plus side, Novak seems to understand the boundaries, an apology is rare but a good response, after any one incident he seems to calm straight back down.

I don't really have an issue with it, he's just letting off a little steam for the most part. He seems like one of the good guys too, which helps.

That being said, he did overstep the mark while bellowing near the ball boy; not intentional, but not excusable either. As others have mentioned, he should try to rein that sort of stuff in when he can.

If he is a little more tightly wound than usual (I certainly trust socal and HM on that front), I wonder why? As others have said, it wouldn't be surprising if the pressure of being the definitive top player (with way less competition than in 2011-14) is getting to him.

Bit weird of you IMBL to post this article having a go at the sportsmanship of your favourite player's top rival and then respond to a perfectly tame comment like this: "flaming posts that are clearly inflammatory and designed to create a toxic situation". Is there some in joke there that I've missed? Or are you just trolling?

Funny thing is though, I am not convinced by his apology somehow. The way he says he was shouting to his box and the ball boy just happened to be there... hmm... not so sure. The verbal anger seems to coincide with the towel snatching.

Anyway, player disrespects ball boy. What else is new.

Henman Bill wrote: Is there some in joke there that I've missed?

No ?
This article was my honest opinion, I don't think HM or Socal or any Djokovic fan thinks I was writing this article to flame them. The post in the thread I was responding to most definitely was.
Also both Socal and HM know that I am generally very fair to Djokovic, I did reiterate I do think he's a nice guy really, but of course it's disappointing when he lets his emotions get the better of him.

Henman Bill wrote:
Funny thing is though, I am not convinced by his apology somehow. The way he says he was shouting to his box and the ball boy just happened to be there... hmm... not so sure. The verbal anger seems to coincide with the towel snatching.

I don't think so, I think the ballboy was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but still of course Djokovic should have realised he was scaring the poor kid.

Silver wrote:I don't really have an issue with it, he's just letting off a little steam for the most part. He seems like one of the good guys too, which helps.

That being said, he did overstep the mark while bellowing near the ball boy; not intentional, but not excusable either. As others have mentioned, he should try to rein that sort of stuff in when he can.

If he is a little more tightly wound than usual (I certainly trust socal and HM on that front), I wonder why? As others have said, it wouldn't be surprising if the pressure of being the definitive top player (with way less competition than in 2011-14) is getting to him.

Agree with you entirely Silver.
Djokovic did always throw tantrums from time to time, but these days it just seems a lot more frequent and a lot more over the top.
As Socal rightly pointed out, after he lets out the anger he does seem to perform better, so maybe Djokovic has that at the back of his mind ?

Edberg v Richard Wertheim...

I think there is definitely a certain pressure that comes with being the top player.

The format of tennis is tough. If you lose, there's no chance to turn things around in the second leg. There's no opportunity to make the cut and try to play better in later rounds. There no getting ahead and running down the clock. There's no talented team mate to produce a moment of magic.

In tennis, if you lose, you're out of the competition.

And in every match there's a talented player trying his best to make you lose.

I think that is a huge part of why it's so common for a player to get a great result and not follow it up in the next round. There's no chance to savour the victory. It's on to the next round where you have to do it all over again - usually against a better player!

That pressure is common to all players.

What's particularly tough for the top players is 1) they have to face the pressure more often and 2) the stakes are higher.

I say the stakes are higher because a lower ranked player could reach the 4R or QF of a slam and view it as a good result. They can go into matches thinking anything else is a bonus.

For the top players, anything less than undefeated will be a bit of a disappointment.

I feel it a bit as a fan. It's "the agony of hope". Matches like the RG13 SF, there are only two outcomes - agony or ecstasy. It's enough to drive you a bit crazy at times.

It must be many times worse to be the player involved.

The ball boy thing is a little off, but nowt wrong with a little petulance. If that's who you are, then that's who you are.

he seems to lose it most with the fans, saying some colourful things to them in a lot of matches. I think he is forever waiting for them to treat him how they treat Roger and Rafa. I think they will one day but probably when its him who is the underdog

CAS wrote:he seems to lose it most with the fans, saying some colourful things to them in a lot of matches. I think he is forever waiting for them to treat him how they treat Roger and Rafa. I think they will one day but probably when its him who is the underdog

Pre 2011 I hadn't noticed of him being lippy wih the crowds for whatever reason getting to number 1 has made him more temperamental. Although there is a section of crowds who come to annoy the player it's no excuse to lose it as often as he does

HM Murdoch wrote:I feel it a bit as a fan. It's "the agony of hope". Matches like the RG13 SF, there are only two outcomes - agony or ecstasy. It's enough to drive you a bit crazy at times.

It must be many times worse to be the player involved.

Wonderful post.

We don't see the hours of practice put in, or the carefully managed diets, the painstaking attention to detail everywhere. All we see is the battle on the court, and someone has to lose. When the stakes are so high, the pain of losing must be amplified hugely. All of that work - for nothing.

It's a testament to the mental strength of the top players that they're been able to stay motivated for so long. It's very difficult to be the hunted.

Millions of dollars will never make a person classy.

There's a saying in Balkans, when the gypsy made money, he killed his father, to show off his power.

So all the shirt ripping, animal shouting etc. is expected from a guy from Balkans, it's their surrounding as they grow up, from Croatia to Pakistan, it's same mentality.

So forgive Djoko a little wild behavior, he still can't believe into what money and fame he is.

Must you bring racial stereotypes into every thread? Really silly and way off topic. Do you really believe all this nonsense or are you just trying to get a rise out of people? I hope you don't actually believe these things because then it is really pitiful.

Aye generalisations based off Novak being in Eastern europe is not to my taste either. Novaks way does come from his upbringing but not for any racial reason. His parents had to scrape and fight for everything, something that explains the occasional behaviour you see from them all.

Jahu wrote:Millions of dollars will never make a person classy.

There's a saying in Balkans, when the gypsy made money, he killed his father, to show off his power.

So all the shirt ripping, animal shouting etc. is expected from a guy from Balkans, it's their surrounding as they grow up, from Croatia to Pakistan, it's same mentality.

So forgive Djoko a little wild behavior, he still can't believe into what money and fame he is.

I'm not sure it's fair to blame it on his ethnicity. Tennis is full of brats- especially in the juniors, no matter the country or ethnicity. Most grow out of it, learn to behave from professionals ahead of them,etc.  Mostly in the juniors, it's the parents pushing them, telling them how great they are and how they can do no wrong. In Djokovic's case, I don't think it's helped him to have a dad who talks about  him in Messiah like terms and  calls him a "chosen one", parents who talk about his birth in supernatural terms.  This has to lead to some behavior issues in anyone.  Maybe that's a cultural thing I'm not familiar with in that area, but to me- they seem way overboard with that stuff.    I think Djokovic has actually handled himself pretty well as the years have gone on.  He's given credit to Federer recently on helping him to learn to be a role model to younger fans, and I think he learned from both Federer and Nadal to handle being the top dog with more class.  As Djokovic has risen to the top,  his parents and entorurage have seemingly behaved themselves at the tournies. I'll never forget being in the stands near them and watching his dad and cousins in Cinci, clearly drunk, just completely berating, cursing and harassing Djoko's outmatched opponent during the entire match. I'm sure Djoko put his foot down and put an end to that.  So at least with his entoruage, I think the success has led to more class. I think Djoko speaks well and seems like he cares about the sport.  

The recent outbursts might be some of the old habits coming back, it might be the pressure of being top dog as some say. It's true that being the hunted is a huge weight on your shoulders.

My career was partly handling such things and , no doubt, Djoko's publicist got ahold of him after the match and tried to do damage control with the apology.  To me though- it seems genuine and not just saying what he was told he needed to say.   when he brings his child into the conversation, speaks about what he feels as a parent and how he would want his child to be treated- to me that has to be real.   I don't know many parents that would talk from that angle and have not be genuine.

I guess we'll have to see how he continues to act in the next couple months.  Pressure will be on him even more now with clay season.  This would be the time of the year where he could crack- or could flourish and knock a lot of the pressure off.

He's clearly on his way to cementing a legacy as the best all around player of his generation though- and doing it with a mid to late career surge which is really impressive.

TRuffin wrote:I'll never forget being in the stands near them and watching his dad and cousins in Cinci, clearly drunk, just completely berating, cursing and harassing Djoko's outmatched opponent during the entire match.

Really ?
I've never noticed that, when was this ?

TRuff, it was nothing about ethnicity, thats why I included a wide region of same mentality.

But since you mention it now, yes his father talks that way and wares Djoko t-shirt, but in general Serbs count themselves as heavenly nation.

It was nicely seen when Djoko beat Nadal at 2011 W, and he went to Belgrade, thousands of people into the streets to see him, there were more flags of anti-Nadal swearing, then flags welcoming Djoko.

Just how it is and the myths they cultivate, thought Djoko is a decent enough person, he can't beat the genetics when it gets tight on court.

It Must Be Love wrote:

TRuffin wrote:I'll never forget being in the stands near them and watching his dad and cousins in Cinci, clearly drunk, just completely berating, cursing and harassing Djoko's outmatched opponent during the entire match.

Really ?
I've never noticed that, when was this ?

Against a young Harrison, I think either 2010 or 11. I was at cinci both those years, but seems like it would have been 11

I don't think it's a secret his entorague had poor behavior in the early years, what I saw was just crazy though. drunk as skunks Several ushers tried to stop them and finally someone official came in towards the end and they quieted down.

People learn from their mistakes though- and I think they seem pretty quiet and reserved now. At least from what the tv cameras are showing.

Yeah, no difference from Tomic father acting like a God and beating Bernard's hitting partner.

Fame is too much for some, and money too.

P.S: Same with Jelena Dokic father.

socal1976 wrote:Must you bring racial stereotypes into every thread? Really silly and way off topic. Do you really believe all this nonsense or are you just trying to get a rise out of people? I hope you don't actually believe these things because then it is really pitiful.

Is it daft you are? Jahu was clearly taking about cultural issues, nothing to do with race. Nice smear attempt though.

Socal has time travel issues, he still thinks Yugoslavia exists and Tito is alive, and Serbia is Iran's only friend with North Korea, so he is a little sensitive to those who state facts against Djoko.

socal chill, we know you

Jahu wrote:Yeah, no difference from Tomic father acting like a God and beating Bernard's hitting partner.

Fame is too much for some, and money too.

P.S: Same with Jelena Dokic father.

Jahu, I applaud you. You are the Nigel Farage of 606.

greengoblin, don't get all politico-erotico on me now

Nigel has a few good points, will be a good partner to Miliboy

greengoblin wrote:

socal1976 wrote:Must you bring racial stereotypes into every thread? Really silly and way off topic. Do you really believe all this nonsense or are you just trying to get a rise out of people? I hope you don't actually believe these things because then it is really pitiful.

Is it daft you are? Jahu was clearly taking about cultural issues, nothing to do with race. Nice smear attempt though.

Oh an analogy talking about a gypsy killing his pappy is not racist? What next should slur black people, jews, maybe Mexicans on this tennis thread? And by the way they prefer to be called Roma people. And millions were killed in the holocaust. Just because you are too dense and insensitive to pick out the nasty racial stereotype and derogatory slur of a group of people that IS IN THE VERY FIRST LINE OF HIS POST doesn't mean it isn't racist. Let me ask you would if it was you, and a room of Roma, would you make that analogy out loud in front of them? Of course you wouldn't because it is  nonsensical, non-germane, insensitive, and yes racist. There I explained the racial derision in his statement in a manner when even someone as apparently dense and inobservant as you can figure it out.

socal, don't derail the OP.

Stick to Djoko, leave this sugar coating ethnic stuff alone.

You can't sell same stuff here again, you done it 50 times, even from nitb times, come on.

And the Gypsy story is not a imagination, its a true story from Otoman times in Balkans c.~1700's, when a local turkish Pasha, made a Gispy guy a Agha, a little ruler below him, he executed his father a few days after.

Enough everyone.
People here know of where Socal hails from, as a result any sweeping generalisations about "culture" or "genetics" of that region are, quite rightly going to cause offense. Its why, no matter how far reaching you think you are, try and typecast people based on where theyre from is a bad idea.
Might I suggest we move off of trying to pin Djokos edginess on his place of birth? Its total b*llocks in any case

Frankly I think where Djokovic was born is irrelevant.
Jahu, you've made comments based on ethnicity/culture before which were inflammatory, and you've done it again here on this thread. I would be annoyed if I was in Socal's position too.

Why? I never said anything about socal or his backgournd.

Don't be like bored housewives, stirring unnecessary bs.

I know socal longer then you, we have a nice political fight history here, since this forum exists.

And don't be on other peoples positions, just be on your position.

Move along now, nothing to see here.

silver, murdoch, would be more understandable to see some tension at FO for Djoko, but Miami? With Indian Wells and AO trophies in the bank already, and several Miamis also in the trophy cabinet, where is the pressure? If he loses Miami, who cares? Funny how the pressure comes out at odd moments like that.

socal1976 wrote:

greengoblin wrote:

socal1976 wrote:Must you bring racial stereotypes into every thread? Really silly and way off topic. Do you really believe all this nonsense or are you just trying to get a rise out of people? I hope you don't actually believe these things because then it is really pitiful.

Is it daft you are? Jahu was clearly taking about cultural issues, nothing to do with race. Nice smear attempt though.

Oh an analogy talking about a gypsy killing his pappy is not racist? What next should slur black people, jews, maybe Mexicans on this tennis thread? And by the way they prefer to be called Roma people. And millions were killed in the holocaust. Just because you are too dense and insensitive to pick out the nasty racial stereotype and derogatory slur of a group of people that IS IN THE VERY FIRST LINE OF HIS POST doesn't mean it isn't racist. Let me ask you would if it was you, and a room of Roma, would you make that analogy out loud in front of them? Of course you wouldn't because it is  nonsensical, non-germane, insensitive, and yes racist. There I explained the racial derision in his statement in a manner when even someone as apparently dense and inobservant as you can figure it out.

Are you serious? A story about a gypsy killing his dad is racist? And bringing up the holocaust because someone dared to point out cultural norms in certain eastern European groups is completely irrelevant but all too predictable. In answer to your question, I would not criticise 'roma' in a room full of them, although as you might imagine that could have something to do with fears for my personal safety. I think we should let it drop now, but I couldn't let the 'dense' comment go without challenge.

You know why you wouldn't say that comment in a room full of Roma people because they would be offended, because it is offensive. Greengoblin you admitted it as such because if it was normal comment without racist overtones you would have no problem saying it out loud. So you are dense because as you claim you still don't see it. Jahu, gave a race based analogy to generalize a negative stereotype about people from that part of the world. Hey buddy newsflash that is racist conduct. And thank you for proving how dense you are being.

Jahu wrote:Why? I never said anything about socal or his backgournd.

Don't be like bored housewives, stirring unnecessary bs.

I know socal longer then you, we have a nice political fight history here, since this forum exists.

.

WHAT! Are you insane Jahu? I have moved on from the incident in question and I would just let sleeping dogs lie. However you are really pushing the envelope and forcing me to mention that fact that you have been banned at least once and possibly twice for racist comments about my background. I don't even remember the exact comment because I don't care. But Julius banned you for it, so how could you have never said anything about my background? That comment in bold is just plainly the opposite of truth. Our dispute is not political. I find you humor to be sophomoric and boring. Like a pre-teen with his buddies continually trying to prove how manly he is by making d+ck and b++b jokes. I have no ill will towards you. And wouldn't even bring up the derogatory racial comments banning that you received from Julius because of what you said about me, if you wouldn't actually lie about and bring it up yourself. There are no political disputes these two issues are why we have had disputes in the past not politics.

Yes, but you have said the same text you just wrote for last 4 years, every time for same reasons.

So you have not moved on, and you are singing same tune, and always derail the subject and turn it into some sort of racial stuff, kind of playing the victim.

Now you don't be like a housewife and take us back to history, we both know it how and why it was, so don't drag it on.

And you are the one who said that Germans did it good to French in WWII, the day of the D-day.

I'm sure many have not forgot that statement of yours and you dare and talk about racism and hide behind your emigrant card, blla blla old story.