"All the veterans see through Novak Djokovic's fake nice guy gimmick";"Someone's jealous" - Fans react to Andy Murray's take on Serb hitting Federer
Andy Murray recently expressed his opinion on an infamous Novak Djokovic-Roger Federer match incident from the 2014 Shanghai Masters Semifinal.
After a four-year absence, the Shanghai Masters is primed to make a grand comeback to the ATP. One of the most memorable moments in the tournament's history is the epic showdown between Djokovic and Federer in the 2014 quarterfinals that had a lot of heated moments.
In one moment during the match, Djokovic unintentionally hit Federer with the ball on the left arm while taking a forehand swing and did not apologize for it. The 20-time Grand Slam winner ended up winning the match in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, before going on to beat Gilles Simon in the final.
At the post-match press conference, Djokovic turned a blind eye to his non-apology and instead gave props to his Swiss counterpart's brilliant performance.
“I think I did not play too bad. It’s just that he played everything he wanted to play. He played the perfect match… an amazing match", Djokovic said.
Footage of the incident recently caught the attention of Andy Murray, who claimed the Serb's shot to be justifiable. However, the former World No. 1 threw in a mention of a couple of matches where Novak Djokovic was involved and highlighted his contrasting reactions, which were a far cry from his behavior towards Federer.
“Totally legitimate play. Great shot. However when Rafa clocked him in Canada and Norrie in Rome he reacted like “how dare you?”, he wrote.
Rafael Nadal struck Novak Djokovic in the 2013 Canadian Open semifinal. The Spaniard hit the 24-time Grand Slam Champion in the face with a backhand shot near the net, which apparently upset the Serb.
When Cameron Norrie accidently dumped the ball onto Novak Djokovic's ankle during their Rome Masters match this year, Djokovic was displeased, shooting daggers at the Brit.
Andy Murray’s comment on the video elicited various reactions from tennis fans on Twitter. One of the fans called Novak Djokovic a "fake guy".
"The young players can fall for it, but all the veterans of the tour see through Djokovic's fake nice guy gimmick lol", the tweeted.
Another tennis enthusiast threw shade at Andy Murray, saying he's green with envy over the Serb.
"Someone’s jealous a 35/36 year old Novak Djokovic won the same amount of Grand Slams and more different ones in one year than he has his whole career", they posted.
Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:
Novak Djokovic- “Shanghai has always been one of my favourite tournaments in the season”
Following his victory at the US Open, Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the Shanghai Masters. After claiming his 24th Grand Slam title, the 36-year-old decided to skip the Chinese swing this year to compete in the Davis Cup. Djokovic will presumably compete at the Paris Masters, which begins on October 30, in an effort to finish the year as the No. 1 player.
In a social media post, Novak Djokovic addressed his fans in China, saying that he hoped to be able to plaiy in the country again in the future.
“Over the years, some of the best support I receive anywhere in the world is in China. Shanghai has always been one of my favourite tournaments in the season. I will be missing my #NoleFam in China. I hope that I can come back to China in the future and play in front of all of you again", Djokovic wrote.
The Shanghai Masters is the second to last Masters 1000 event of the season and kicks off on October 4.