Novak Djokovic has not been quizzed over viral secret drink video at Paris Masters, reveals leading tennis journalist
A video featuring Novak Djokovic and his team at the Paris Masters has caught a lot of attention since the semifinals on Saturday. However, the Serbian tennis great is yet to be quizzed over the same and was not even asked about it in his post-match press conference after Sunday's final, tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg has revealed.
The 21-time Major champion lost a thrilling Paris Masters final to 19-year-old Holger Rune after winning the first set. The Serb spoke about Rune's phenomenal rise and his own game in the build-up to the ATP Finals, among other finals, in his press conference after the Paris final. However, there was no mention whatsoever from him or the journalists present there of the mystery drink video, which has garnered millions of views and has become a big talking point.
"Small update on this odd video that has gotten 9+ million views since yesterday: Djokovic was not asked about it in his post-match press conference in Paris," Ben Rothenberg wrote on Twitter.
Small update on this odd video that has gotten 9+ million views since yesterday:
Djokovic was not asked about it in his post-match press conference in Paris.🤷
In the video, Djokovic's trainer can be seen preparing a drink for the Serb during his Paris Masters semifinal against Stefanos Tsitsipas, before sending it across to him during a changeover. While something like this is not uncommon in tennis matches, the body language shown by Djokovic's team members is what has caused confusion for many.
A member of his team seated next to trainer Ulises Badio was asked by others to turn his back towards the direction from which they were being filmed, for a few seconds while Badio prepared the drink before he handed it over to a ball kid to then give to the Serb.
Can anyone who knows tennis explain what is going on here, and why it’s being done this way? It looks amazingly dodgy. https://t.co/xoJHBLmTzA
"Golly, the body language in this video is bizarre" - Leading tennis journalist on video featuring Novak Djokovic
Soon after the incident, Ben Rothenberg raised concerns about the video and felt that the body language exhibited by Novak Djokovic's team members was "bizarre." Rothenberg feels that tennis needs more transparency about the substances players take during matches, although notorious cases are rarely ever missed with strict protocols in place.
He later clarified that he was not accusing the Serbian player or his team of anything, but their body language suggested that they were hiding something, which raises serious questions.
"I've always thought there should be more transparency about the substances players take, particularly during matches, but I've also rarely thought anything was likely amiss. But golly, the body language in this video is bizarre. What does the Djokovic team think needs hiding?" Rothenberg earlier wrote on Twitter.
"I'm accusing no one of anything here, but what an incredibly suspicious way to start acting when you suddenly notice that you're being filmed. Hope Djokovic and/or his team get asked about this today in Paris, and that they don't just accept his previous "magic potions" answer," he added.
At Wimbledon, a similar incident saw the Serbian superstar inhaling something from a water bottle during one of his matches. When asked about it later, the Serb chose not to reveal the contents of the bottle and said that it had a "magic potion" that he could not talk about at the time.