Tennis Controversies of the Week: Novak Djokovic in hot water after meeting controversial figure; Ben Shelton under fire for 'shameless' Miami Open celebration, and more

Tennis legend Novak Djokovic drew criticism for meeting U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during his 2025 Miami Open campaign. In other news, Ben Shelton’s enthusiastic celebration during his second-round loss at the Miami Open sparked controversy.

Meanwhile, the Miami Open came under fire for shifting Joao Fonseca’s second-round match during Jack Draper’s match at the Grandstand, while Carlos Alcaraz confronted the chair umpire over the "impossible" shot clock rule in the Miami Open shock exit.

On that note, here's a recap of the top tennis controversies from last week:

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Novak Djokovic faced backlash following meeting with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Novak Djokovic faced criticism for meeting with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent anti-vaccine advocate and the current U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, at the Miami Open. After taking some time off his tournament schedule, Djokovic played tennis with Kennedy, who later shared a photo of their meeting on X.

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"Novak Djokovic. First in tennis. First in integrity. First in courage. Guess who won this match?" Kennedy Jr. captioned his post.

Making his 14th appearance at the Miami Open, Djokovic is chasing a seventh title. After a first-round bye, the Serb defeated Rinky Hijikata and Camilo Ugo Carabelli to reach the Round of 16, where he will face 15th seed Lorenzo Musetti on March 25.

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Ben Shelton received criticism for his celebration during the Miami Open 2R

Ben Shelton drew criticism for enthusiastically celebrating a point during his 6-76(3), 6-2, 6-7(5) loss to wildcard Coleman Wong in the second round of the ongoing Miami Open. A video shared on X showed the American pointing to his ear, grinning, and sticking his tongue out after winning a point. reading

An individual shared the video of the incident with the caption reading:

"Nahhh this is the most shameless thing I have ever seen. Against the mighty Coleman Wong are you kidding me."

Ben Shelton faced an early exit in the doubles event in Miami as well, as he and his partner Alex Michelsen suffered a 4-6, 4-6 defeat to Sebastian Korda and Jordan Thompson in the first round.

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Miami Open sparked controversy after rescheduling Joao Fonseca’s match midway through Jack Draper’s Grandstand clash

The Miami Open faced backlash for relocating 18-year-old Joao Fonseca’s second-round match, originally set for the Grandstand after Jack Draper’s opener. The Brazilian was initially scheduled to face Ugo Humbert at Grandstand after Draper’s match against Jakub Mensik, and many of his supporters had already secured their seats at the venue.

However, midway through the second set of the Brit's match, organizers announced Fonseca’s match was moved to the Stadium court. This decision sparked loud boos from many spectators, forcing the umpire to pause play.

Watch the video here:

Fans also faced an added frustration—watching Fonseca on the Stadium court required a ticket upgrade, leaving many unable to see him in action.

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Carlos Alcaraz called out 'impossible' shot clock rule during shocking Miami Open exit

Carlos Alcaraz voiced his frustration over the 25-second shot clock rule during his shock second-round exit at the 2025 Miami Open. The rule, designed to minimize downtime, requires players to start their service motion within 25 seconds after a point ends.

During his match against David Goffin, Alcaraz was leading 7-5, 1-1 when the chair umpire penalized him for exceeding the time limit before serving. Although the Spaniard went on to hold serve for a 2-1 lead in the second set, he didn’t hold back his complaints, arguing that adhering to the rule was "impossible" when finishing a point at the net.

"I finish in the net, it is impossible to put the clock," Alcaraz complained. "He brought me the towel just once, and I lost more time if I got to the towel. Know what I mean? So it is impossible. I finish in the net, and I have no time."

The 2022 singles champion went on to lose 7-5, 4-6, 3-6 to Goffin, marking his worst performance at the Miami Open.

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