"I got whistled... I don't understand why the crowd turn against me" - When Novak Djokovic was left stumped after Madrid Open loss to Grigor Dimitrov
Novak Djokovic expressed his surprise at the crowd turning against him during his Madrid Open defeat to Grigor Dimitrov in 2013.
The Serb entered the tournament as the top seed and received a bye to the second round. Here, he faced an unseeded Dimitrov and the two played out an intense encounter, which the latter won 7-6(6), 6-7(8), 6-3.
In his post-match press conference, Djokovic spoke about how he got whistled by the Madrid Open crowd over the times he checked close calls. The Serb also said that he couldn't understand why the spectators turned against him.
"You know, in the first set, every single close call that I went to look at the ball and the chair umpire comes to see, I got whistled. I don't see any reason for that. I didn't do anything bad," the Serb said.
"When I see the ball, it's good, I clear the mark. I give him a point. I never did anything opposite in my life. I'm honest. If I see the ball in, I play the ball; if it's close, I call the chair umpire. I don't understand why they turn against me, for what reason, but it is what it is. I'm a professional, and it's not the first time I'm experiencing that," he added.
Novak Djokovic won the Madrid Open thrice throughout his career
Novak Djokovic has won the Madrid Open thrice so far in his career and is one of only three players to have triumphed three times or more at the Masters 1000 event.
His first title came in 2011 when he beat Rafael Nadal in the final. This would be among his seven straight wins over the Spaniard in title clashes that lasted till 2012.
The Serb's second tournament win in Madrid came five years later in 2016, when he beat Andy Murray 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in the title clash. His third and final title at the Masters 1000 event came in 2019, where he did not drop a single set.
Seeded first, Djokovic reached the final after wins over Taylor Fritz, Jeremy Chardy, and Dominic Thiem (including a walkover win vs Marin Cilic in the quarterfinals). Here, he faced Stefanos Tsitsipas and beat him 6-3, 6-4.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion's last appearance in Madrid came in 2022, when he reached the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.