“Campaign to put Djokovic in a bad light,” Novak Djokovic’s fans point out the ‘Bullying’ against him by comparing his default to Stefanos Tsitsipas’ incident at the Australian Open

Social media users believe comparing Tsitsipas' incident with Novak Djokovic's as an attempt to show the Serb in a bad light.

“Campaign to put Djokovic in a bad light,” Novak Djokovic’s fans point out the ‘Bullying’ against him by comparing his default to Stefanos Tsitsipas’ incident at the Australian Open

Stefanos Tsitsipas and Novak Djokovic

Greek tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas made it to the semifinals of the 2023 Australian Open. On his path to the last 4, the third seed became the fourth male to win his first six Grand Slam quarterfinals which is quite a rare feat. Tsitsipas will now lock horns with Russian Karen Khachanov for a place in the final to be held on Sunday. 

Tsitsipas prevailed 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-4 against Czech Jiri Lehecka at Rod Laver Arena. Though the match ended in straight sets there was definitely some resistance from the Czech. Lehecka conjured up a few opportunities but it was Tsitsipas whose game was ahead with minimal mistakes. 

YouTube video

Though Tistispas emerged victorious eventually there was a moment in the game that could have ended his campaign altogether. At one point in the match, a frustrated Tsitsipas came dangerously close to knocking down a ball kid. 

FS Video

 Related: Karen Khachanov’s win at the Australian Open leaves many red-faced

Social media user points the difference between Novak Djokovic’s and Stefanos Tsitsipas’ case

Novak Djokovic after hitting a lineswoman in the 2020 US Open

The incident was a bit similar to the one that happened with Novak Djokovic in the 2020 US Open when the Serb hit the lineswoman unintentionally. Djokovic defaulted instantly but in the case of Tsitsipas, no action was taken. Though fans on social media did not like the similarities drawn by the broadcaster. 

Some of the social media users pointed out the differences in both cases. In Djokovic’s case, a lineswoman was hit on her throat by a ‘careless’ Djokovic. While Tsitsipas did not pose any danger to the ball kid. Thus they believe there was no point to bring Djokovic there. “A tactic to bully Djokovic,” one of the users on Twitter wrote. 

The rule regarding default after hitting any official or the ball kids on the court is a rather controversial one. Many have pointed out the role of sheer luck in the rule. Here are some interesting tweets about the incident.

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