"Everyone is a human being, everyone is flawed and can make mistakes" - Novak Djokovic on Alexander Zverev's Acapulco disqualification
Novak Djokovic recently gave his two cents on Alexander Zverev's violent outburst at the 2022 Mexican Open, which led to the German's disqualification from the tournament. The Serb made no attempt to justify Zverev's actions, but was of the opinion that the German made a human mistake and ought to be given a chance to redeem himself.
Zverev was suspended from the tournament for "unsportsmanlike conduct" after he repeatedly smashed his racquet against the umpire's chair upon losing his doubles match. Zverev disagreed with a line call at a critical juncture of the match, following which he verbally abused the umpire and attacked his chair.
Alexander Zverev has been THROWN OUT of the Mexican Open for attacking the umpire's chair at the end of his doubles match 😮😮😮 https://t.co/CWhQ1r6kwj
The 24-year-old later apologized on social media for his behavior, saying that he was "disappointed" in himself and would ensure that such an incident doesn't happen again in the future.
This is what Alexander Zverev has posted on his Instagram account after smashing his racquet repeatedly into the chair of the umpire within an inch of his feet, and getting thrown out of Acapulco … https://t.co/oXvmt8lETS
During his press conference after defeating Karen Khachanov in the second round in Dubai, Djokovic was asked to weigh in on the matter. The World No. 1 remarked that Zverev had handled the situation rather well by saying all the right things in his statement.
"I saw the video, and I saw [Alexander Zverev]'s statement. I think he said it all in that statement. He realized that it was a mistake. He handled it the right way," Djokovic said. "Hopefully he can reflect on that and not let something like that happen ever again in his life. Everyone is a human being, everyone is flawed and can make mistakes."
The 20-time Grand Slam champion noted that the "heat of the battle" got to Zverev in the end.
"Sometimes on the court you feel in the heat of the battle lots of different emotions, different things happening in your head. I understand the frustration," he said. "I've made mistakes in the past where I've had tantrums on the court. I understand what the player is going through. But, of course, I do not justify his actions."
"I think the disqualification decision was not too harsh" - Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic also agreed with the tournament organizers' decision to suspend Zverev, noting that it was "correct under the circumstances." He recalled his own experience at the 2020 US Open, where he was defaulted for accidentally hitting a linesjudge during his fourth-round encounter against Pablo Carreno Busta.
The 34-year-old revealed that the suspension helped him realize that what he had done was wrong, implying that Alexander Zverev could benefit from the same experience.
"I think the disqualification decision was not too harsh. I think it was correct under the circumstances. Of course, it is harsh for a player to get disqualified from a tournament," Djokovic said. "I mean, I know. A year and a half ago I was disqualified from a Grand Slam for unintentionally hitting the line umpire. I realized it was a mistake and that I had to take it."
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has been defaulted from the 2020 US Open.
It's was an accident which not done by intentionally!
#USOpen
#Djokovic
#djokovicdisqualified https://t.co/j3KsMaHUHt
While he did not expressly recommend any further action be taken by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), he hoped that they would take their time before reaching a consensus on the matter.
"I'm sure that the ATP management and officials will look at the video, will probably interview the chair umpire and take some time to decide what they want to decide," he said. "I'm never going to encourage the ATP to disqualify or fine a player because I'm not in a position to do that."
Djokovic, meanwhile, advanced to the quarterfinals in Dubai with a straight-sets win over Karen Khachanov. The Serb will face Jiri Vesely in the last eight later on Thursday.