Fans Slam Miami Open for Omitting Novak Djokovic from Wall of Champions Post- “Blatant Propaganda”

Novak Djokovic has won six Miami Open titles, the last of which he won in 2016.

Fans Slam Miami Open for Omitting Novak Djokovic from Wall of Champions Post- “Blatant Propaganda”

Novak Djokovic (Image via Univers Tennis)

In Short
  • Jannik Sinner won the Indian Wells Masters, defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final.
  • Novak Djokovic withdrew from the Miami Open due to a right arm injury.
  • Fans criticized the Miami Open for omitting Djokovic's picture from a graphic of past champions.

The Indian Wells Masters concluded on Sunday (March 15) and saw Jannik Sinner crowned as champion for the first time after a straight-set victory over Daniil Medvedev. Novak Djokovic also played, but defending champion Jack Draper knocked him out with a three-set win in the fourth round.

The Serb has won the most titles (along with Roger Federer) in the California desert, winning his fifth title in 2016. The same year, he beat Kei Nishikori and won his sixth trophy at the Miami Open, tying the tally with Andre Agassi.

Last year, he came close to scripting history but failed to cross the final hurdle, losing to Jakub Mensik in straight sets. This time, however, Djokovic will be skipping the tournament.

The main draw of the Miami Open starts on March 17. Even though Djokovic holds the record for most titles, his picture was missing from a tournament’s social media graphic celebrating past champions.

Fans slam the Miami Open for omitting Novak Djokovic’s picture from the wall of champions post

When the Miami Open released the graphic, Djokovic fans noticed the 24-time Grand Slam was not part of the wall of champions post and called out the Miami Open and director James Blake.

Novak Djokovic (2)
Novak Djokovic (Image via X/NovakFanFan)

Check out their reaction here:

The criticism prompted Blake to make it clear that the reason why Djokovic was omitted was because the graphic included only the past seven champions.

It’s the last 7 years of champions in order. Nobody was omitted.

James Blake wrote on X

Check out his post here:

In another post, Blake wrote that even Agassi and eight-time Miami Open singles champion Serena Williams‘ pictures were not added to the graphic for the same reason.

Agassi isn’t on there either. Neither is Serena. It’s just posting the recent champions. If you find a problem with that, it seems like you are just looking for a problem.

Check out his post here:

Djokovic cited a right arm injury as the reason for his withdrawal from the Miami Open. The 38-year-old was also dealing with the same problem during his Indian Wells campaign.

Jack Draper shares how he felt after defeating Novak Djokovic

After upsetting Djokovic in the Indian Wells fourth round, Draper tied his head-to-head record to 1-1 over the Serb. They also played a thrilling 26-shot rally that saw Djokovic bring a variety of shots.

Novak Djokovic, Jack Draper
Novak Djokovic, Jack Draper (Image via X/Tiempo De Tenis, British Tennis Players)

It was a crazy match. I think we both gave it our all. Personally, I feel like I started a bit passive, but then I started being more aggressive, taking control of the points on my terms. Right now, I’m overwhelmed by having defeated Novak, someone I have watched, admired, and idolized since I was a child.

Jack Draper said at the press conference

Later in the quarterfinals, Draper suffered a straight-set defeat at the hands of eventual runner-up Daniil Medvedev. Last year in the Indian Wells final, Draper defeated Holger Rune to win his career’s first Big Title.

It’s hard when you haven’t been on the court for a while, especially against the best in the world; they make you feel uncomfortable. I am still learning things about my game, my identity on the court. Getting through these matches is tremendously important; they are the kind of matches that when you look back, you think… I overcame this.

Jack Draper added

The Brit has yet to reach the third round of the Miami Open. Last year in the event, he suffered a second-round exit.

Draper will be competing in his third singles tournament since making his comeback at the Dubai Tennis Championships after a long injury hiatus. He has so far played seven singles finals, winning three titles. Last year, he won the Indian Wells and lost the Qatar Open and the Madrid Open.

Also read: Daniil Medvedev Draws the Ultimate Comparison Between Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and the Big 3