Ex-ATP Pro Slams Novak Djokovic Over ‘Lack of Respect’ for Colleagues After ATP Finals Withdrawal
Novak Djokovic took home two ATP 250 titles this season, most recently, at the Hellenic Championship.
Follow Us
Novak Djokovic (Image via X/AllAboutHQ)
🔍 Explore this post with:
Novak Djokovic kept the tennis world guessing about who the eighth player would be to qualify for the ATP Finals. He ended his season after playing the first edition of the Hellenic Championship in Athens, where he reached his third final of the season, ending the match in his favor by defeating Lorenzo Musetti.
For Musetti to make his debut in the year-end championships, he had to win the 250-level event in Athens. But as he failed to win, Felix Auger-Aliassime became the eighth player. However, right after winning the tournament, Djokovic declared that he would once again skip the ATP Finals. This ensured Musetti’s participation as he arrived in Turin as Djokovic’s replacement.
Now this decision drew backlash with many accusing the Serb of disrespecting his colleagues, saying he could have communicated to the tennis world what he had in his mind about his ATP Finals participation beforehand. Former player Julien Varlet is also of the same opinion.
Djokovic’s walkover is a lack of respect for the other players. The final he delivers in Athens is monumental, but announcing his withdrawal right after—that’s not classy toward the Masters. His greatness takes a hit.
Julien Varlet told Sans Filet
The former World No.1 holds the record for most ATP Finals titles (seven), the last of which he won in 2023 by defeating current defending champion Jannik Sinner. The 24-time Grand Slam champion skipped the event last year, with the Shanghai Masters becoming the last tournament of his 2024 season.
Novak Djokovic lauds Lorenzo Musetti’s improvement on hardcourt
Novak Djokovic has improved his head-to-head record over Lorenzo Musetti to 9-1 following their Athens match. It was also his second win over the Italian this season. During the trophy presentation, Djokovic lauded last year’s Paris Olympic bronze medalist for his improvement on court.
I don’t know where to start. First of all, out of respect for Lorenzo and his performance today and his performance all week, I want to say a few words. I think at this level, we all pretty much experience the feeling of playing such a close match and losing. I know it’s a tough feeling to accept right now, but if there is anything to take away, this is your level of tennis; it’s been incredible all week, especially today.
Djokovic’s season ended with two titles. Earlier this year, the 38-year-old lifted the ATP 250 Geneva Open by defeating Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, and the win made him only the third man in the Open Era to win 100 or more singles titles.
Apart from the Geneva Open and the Hellenic Championship, the 24-time Grand Slam champion also reached the Miami Open finals but couldn’t overcome Jakub Mensik. Musetti, on the other hand, is still chasing his first title of the season.
He has so far featured in three finals, including at the Monte Carlo Masters, his first in a Masters 1000 tournament. Musetti lost to Carlos Alcaraz in The Principality and later, Alejandro Tabilo denied him the win at the Ningbo Open, before he lost to ‘Nole’ in Athens.
The 23-year-old, in fact, is chasing his first title since winning the 2022 Napoli Open, losing six finals since then. At the ATP Finals, Musetti, who is a part of Group Jimmy Connors, lost his first round-robin match against Taylor Fritz.
He will next be locking horns with Alex de Minaur, against whom he holds a 3-1 head-to-head lead. Following the match against the Aussie, Musetti will meet six-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz. Musetti has lost six matches out of the seven he has played against the World No.2.
Also read: Aryna Sabalenka Reveals How She Plans to Mentally Regroup after WTA Finals Loss to Elena Rybakina
/techfirstnow/media/agency_attachments/kATjCXskQdJKkXN0OuqW.png)