'Novak Djokovic had too much on his plate' - Serena Williams' coach feels PTPA stress led to USO default

Novak Djokovic was defaulted from the 2020 US Open.

Novak Djokovic has found himself in yet another controversy this year. The World No. 1 was defaulted after hitting a line judge with the ball during his US Open pre-quarterfinal match against Pablo Carreno Busta.

Serena Williams' coach Patrick Mouratoglou gave his view on this development, and said that Novak Djokovic had too much on his plate - referring in particular to the new player association started by the 2020 Australian Open winner. But Mouratoglou also added that no player should lose focus while playing at a Grand Slam.

Here's what Mouratoglou wrote on Twitter:

"I feel that Novak had too much on his plate: trying to win this US Open was already a huge goal. Starting this player’s association and a campaign in order to convince players to be part of it is a full time job & a lot of extra stress. Nobody can afford to lose focus during a GS."

I feel that Novak had too much on his plate: trying to win this US Open was already a huge goal. Starting this player’s association and a campaign in order to convince players to be part of it is a full time job & a lot of extra stress. Nobody can afford to lose focus during a GS
— Patrick Mouratoglou (@pmouratoglou) September 7, 2020

Did Novak Djokovic have too much on his plate?

Novak Djokovic has been in terrific form all year. He had not lost a single match on the ATP Tour before Sunday, and was the overwhelming favorite to win the US Open 2020.

But while the 2020 season seemed to be nearly perfect for Novak Djokovic as a player, the off-court issues have threatened to overwhelm him at times. The World No. 1 had resigned from his position as the ATP Player Council President last week before launching the Professional Tennis Players' Association (PTPA).

Novak Djokovic checks on the lineswoman.

As pointed out by Patrick Mouratoglou, winning the US Open Championship was already a massive goal for the Belgrade-based player. In addition, the concerns about how to convince the other players to join the PTPA could have been playing on Novak Djokovic's mind according to Mouratoglou.

Ever since Djokovic introduced the PTPA, he has received many negative remarks from all parts of the world. Some have slammed him for the exclusion of women's players, while others have questioned if the association even made sense.

View this post on Instagram

This whole situation has left me really sad and empty. I checked on the lines person and the tournament told me that thank God she is feeling ok. I‘m extremely sorry to have caused her such stress. So unintended. So wrong. I’m not disclosing her name to respect her privacy. As for the disqualification, I need to go back within and work on my disappointment and turn this all into a lesson for my growth and evolution as a player and human being. I apologize to the @usopen tournament and everyone associated for my behavior. I’m very grateful to my team and family for being my rock support, and my fans for always being there with me. Thank you and I’m so sorry. Cela ova situacija me čini zaista tužnim i praznim. Proverio sam kako se oseća linijski sudija, i prema informacijama koje sam dobio, oseća se dobro, hvala Bogu. Njeno ime ne mogu da otkrijem zbog očuvanja njene privatnosti. Jako mi je žao što sam joj naneo takav stres. Nije bilo namerno. Bilo je pogrešno. Želim da ovo neprijatno iskustvo, diskvalifikaciju sa turnira, pretvorim u važnu životnu lekciju, kako bih nastavio da rastem i razvijam se kao čovek, ali i teniser. Izvinjavam se organizatorima US Opena. Veoma sam zahvalan svom timu i porodici što mi pružaju snažnu podršku, kao i mojim navijačima jer su uvek uz mene. Hvala vam i žao mi je. Bio je ovo težak dan za sve.

A post shared by Novak Djokovic (@djokernole) on Sep 6, 2020 at 3:58pm PDT

Novak Djokovic has issued an apology to the lineswoman on social media, and will return to Europe now. He stated that this accident will help him in evolving as a player and a human being.

The World No. 1 had a golden opportunity to inch closer to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's Grand Slam wins tally. His road to the 18th title will only get tougher in Europe as The King of Clay Nadal will join the tour in Paris, where he will defend his French Open championship.

Can Dominic Thiem take advantage of Novak Djokovic's early exit?

As far as the US Open is concerned, the tennis universe will get a new men's Grand Slam champ this year for the first time since 2014.