"I will give myself 24 hour suspension" - Andre Agassi's ex-coach Brad Gilbert after mistakenly tagging adult film star in message for Novak Djokovic
Andre Agassi's former coach Brad Gilbert has humorously addressed his social media mishap in which he unintentionally tagged an adult film star in his message for Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic advanced to his record 47th Grand Slam semifinal after claiming a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 win over Taylor Fritz in two hours and 34 minutes at the 2023 US Open on Tuesday (September 5).
The Serb's joy over his victory was evident during his on-court interview as he unexpectedly grabbed the microphone from Rennae Stubbs and treated the packed crowd at the Arthur Ashe Stadium to an impromptu rendition of "Fight For Your Right" by the Beastie Boys. He also invited the audience to join in on the chorus.
Referencing the spontaneous performance on social media, Brad Gilbert shared the lyrics of the song and expressed his admiration for the 23-time Grand Slam champion's "epic" showing.
He also tagged the Serb in the message. However, while attempting to tag a member of the American hip hop group as well, Gilbert erroneously tagged a gay adult film star with the username "Beastyboy" instead.
"You got to fight for your right to party @DjokerNole @1mastereagle epic stuff," he posted.
Following numerous fan comments pointing out his mix-up, Gilbert promptly deleted the post. In a subsequent post, he acknowledged his mistake and announced a self-imposed day-long suspension from the social media platform.
"I will give myself a straight red card and 24 hr suspension for honest mistake on wrong tag," he posted.
"It is not easy, but you have to fight" - Novak Djokovic after prevailing under hot and humid conditions in US Open QF
With his win over Taylor Fritz, Novak Djokovic extended his winning streak against American players to 30. He also improved his perfect record against the World No. 9 to 8-0.
In his post-match interview, the 23-time Grand Slam champion commented on the challenging match conditions, mentioning that both he and Fritz were impacted by hot and humid weather in New York.
"I am drenched in sweat and I saw Taylor changed shirt a couple of times. It was very humid conditions. Difficult to play for both players. But it is the same for both players and that is why we train. To try and get ourselves in the best possible condition to deliver. It is not easy, but you have to fight," he said.
Novak Djokovic will lock horns with home favorite Ben Shelton in the semifinals at Flushing Meadows. The 20-year-old became the youngest US Open semifinalist after upsetting 10th seed and last year's semifinalist Frances Tiafoe 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-2.