Serbian basketball player Danilo Andusic accuses US Open of "cheating" Novak Djokovic out of matches after tournament lauds his win record
The US Open recently praised Novak Djokovic's win record in a social media post. But renowned Serbian basketball player Danilo Andusic responded to that by accusing the tournament of "cheating" Djokovic out of matches.
Djokovic defeated reigning Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday to win the Western and Southern Open title. He saved a championship point before claiming a 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6(4) victory in a thrilling contest.
This was a record-extending 39th ATP Masters 1000 title for Djokovic. The summit clash lasted three hours and 49 minutes, making it the longest best-of-three final in ATP history.
With his victory, the 36-year-old also became the tournament's oldest champion; he broke the record of Ken Rosewall, who won it at the age of 35. This was also Djokovic's 1,069th ATP Tour victory, helping him surpass both Ivan Lendl and Rafael Nadal (1,068 each).
The Serb is now only behind Jimmy Connors (1,274) and Roger Federer (1,251) in career match wins.
In the wake of Djokovic's record-breaking win, the US Open Twitter account decided to honor his achievement by writing:
"No one currently playing has won more than Novak Djokovic."
Soon after, Danilo Andusic posted a comment accusing the tournament of depriving his compatriot of more match wins. Andusic was referring to the time in 2022 when Djokovic was denied participation in the Major due to his unvaccinated status.
"He would win even more if you didn’t cheat," Andusic wrote.
"It's a crazy match that we've been through, roller coaster of a match" - Novak Djokovic
After beating Carlos Alcaraz in the Cincinnati final, Novak Djokovic said that the match was crazy and that he hadn't played many matches like it in his career. He also compared it to the match against Rafael Nadal in the 2012 Australian Open finals.
"It's a crazy match that we've been through today. Roller coaster of a match, to be honest. I don't think I've played too many matches like this in my life," he said in a press conference.
"Maybe I can compare it to Nadal finals in Australian Open 2012 that went the distance. Obviously three sets today, but almost four hours," he added.
The Belgrade native is on the verge of retaking the World No. 1 spot from Carlos Alcaraz. He only needs to win one match at the US Open to secure his position as the new No. 1 in the ATP Rankings, regardless of how the Spaniard performs.
Djokovic would be aiming for his 24th Grand Slam singles title at the year's final Major. If he succeeds, he will not only become the first man to win that many Grand Slam titles, but he will also equal Margaret Court's all-time record (24).