'Novak Djokovic is the World No. 1 and should learn some self control' - Pablo Carreno Busta
Novak Djokovic was defaulted from the 2020 US Open in bizarre circumstances, after he hit a lineswoman with a ball during his fourth-round match against Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta.
While there has been a whole cloud of controversy over whether Djokovic deserved the disqualification or not, many people have defended the Serb over the unfortunate incident.
Novak Djokovic never intended to hit the lineswoman, whom he clocked in the throat with the ball, and has since gone on to apologize on social media for his folly. The tennis community have accepted the World No. 1's apology, but they have also not overlooked how insensitive the Serb usually is to his surroundings when things don't go his way.
Against this backdrop, Djokovic's fourth-round opponent Pablo Carreno Busta recently spoke to Sport.es about the Serb's default at the 2020 USO. The Spaniard also gave his thoughts on the new player association that will be headed by Djokovic.
'When you are on court, sometimes it's hard to control the nerves and the frustration' - Carreno Busta
The stakes during their fourth-round match were quite high for Novak Djokovic, who was bidding for a fourth career title at Flushing Meadows.
After failing to convert three set points on Carreno Busta's serve at 4-5, Djokovic tweaked his shoulder and was broken in the next game. Frustration took over the World No. 1 as he swatted a ball towards the wall in anger, which unfortunately hit the line judge.
Pablo Carreno Busta was fully understanding of the Serb's outburst, having had one of his own at last year's Australian Open after losing to Kei Nishikori. The Spaniard sympathized with Djokovic by saying:
"When you are on-court, sometimes it is hard to control the nerves and the frustration."
However, the Spaniard was quick to add that a top-ranked player like Novak Djokovic should be able to control his emotions on the court, and that he shouldn't fall victim to the spur of the moment.
"Though it is true that he's the World No. 1, and should learn some self control," Carreno Busta added.
The Spaniard also stated that while the situation that Novak Djokovic found himself in was unfortunate, it was somewhat due to his own irresponsibility.
"It is also bad luck, but you may throw 100 balls and 99 times nothing happens. But one may happen, and if so one has to follow the rules," Carreno Busta went on.
'The players need an association to represent their interests' - Carreno Busta on Novak Djokovic's PTPA
A couple of weeks ago, Novak Djokovic resigned from the ATP Players Council to head a new players association known as the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA). The agenda of this new union is to coalesce the players' interests and give them a better seat at the negotiation table when it comes to distribution of tournament revenue.
Many players have questioned whether such a player outfit is needed in sensitive times like these, when tennis is trying to get underway after the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the suspension of the tour.
While Pablo Carreno Busta agrees that players deserve to have some political right over the tournament organizers, he is of the opinion that Novak Djokovic has not chosen the correct time to go ahead with his plan.
“It’s true that the players need an association to represent the interests of the players, as the ATP represents many other entities. But this wasn’t the time, nor the way to do it,” Carreno Busta said.