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Novak Djokovic US Open 2019
Novak Djokovic, Tennis News, US Open Tennis

‘Disturbed’ Novak Djokovic was not in his right frame of mind at US Open, says former Wimbledon champion


Novak Djokovic was ‘not in his right frame of mind’ due to off-court pressures and will be ashamed of his behaviour, says Marion Bartoli.

The world number one was unceremoniously ejected from the US Open after accidentally striking a female line-judge with a spare ball in the fourth round.

It came at a time when Djokovic is attempting to lead a player’s revolt against the ATP, as well as the fallout from the coronavirus outbreak at his Adria Tour exhibition event.

“Since the start of the US Open, Novak Djokovic has undoubtedly been disturbed by everything that is happening off the court, as well as his new status as a big favourite in the Grand Slam,” former Wimbledon champion Bartoli said.

“It all started to boil inside him, and he ended up behaving like that. He will have to wonder why he felt like this, so tense and upset.

“It’s a story that ends horribly badly. He was not in the right frame of mind and not in his usual state.

“But the rules are very clear: you are disqualified if you touch someone, regardless of whether it is voluntary or not,

“I think the question is more how he feels. He must be feeling horribly wrong.

“Without even thinking about what the public will think of him, the most important thing is himself.

“He is the father of two children and I’m sure he feels bad because they are bound to hear about it, and he certainly doesn’t want to portray that image as a father.”


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Michael Graham, Tennishead.net Editor, has been a professional sports journalist for his whole career and is especially passionate about tennis. He's been the Editor of Tennishead.net for over 5 years and loves watching live tennis by visiting as many tournaments as possible. Michael specialises in writing in-depth features about the ATP & WTA tours.