Cam Norrie enrages Novak Djokovic as the British tennis star drills a ball at the world No. 2 while his back is turned… before losing at the Italian Open
- Cameron Norrie channeled his inner Ivan Lendl when he drilled Novak Djokovic
- Brit hit a ball against his leg while the Serb turned his back on Tuesday
- World No. 2 Djokovic went on to win the fourth round match of the Italian Open 6-3 6-4
An angry Novak Djokovic accused Cam Norrie of going against the spirit of fair play after the British number one drilled him on the net in an awkward encounter in the fourth round of the Italian Open.
The Wimbledon champion was angry that Norrie hit him above the ankle with a punch as the Serb was a sitting duck, having been stranded when a ball made an inviting serve during a rally early in the second set.
After a series of deadly stares and an icy handshake to the net that followed a 6-3 6-4 win for the favourite, Djokovic complained that his opponent had pushed the boundaries of the rules throughout the game.
Norrie, who cannot be reached for comment immediately afterwards, rarely gets involved in such controversies, but it was notable that at the start of the match – the first on the schedule – he waited while his opponent received some extra treatment.
Djokovic was both unimpressed and surprised by the spirited nature of the match, with Norrie calling out to the coach before attempting to serve out the match.
Cameron Norrie (left) channeled Ivan Lendl as he drilled Novak Djokovic (right) on Tuesday
The Briton rammed the ball into the left leg of World No. 2 Djokovic, who had his back turned
Serbian Djokovic then turned furiously to give British No. 1 Norrie a deadly glare (pictured), before winning 6-3 6-4 in their fourth-round Italian Open match
“I don’t know if he saw me, I mean peripherally, you can always see where the player is on the pitch. I just turned around because the point was over for me,” he said of the tagging incident.
“It wasn’t so much about that, but maybe a combination of things. From the very beginning, he did all things that are permissible.
“He can take a medical time-out, he can hit a player, he can say ‘Come on’ to (your) face, more or less at any point from the first game, really.
“Those are the things the players know in the dressing room, it’s not fair play, it’s not how we treat each other. I got on well with Cameron all those years he’s been on tour.
“He’s a really nice guy off the pitch, so I don’t understand this kind of attitude on the pitch. He brought the fire and I responded to that. I will not allow a man to behave like this and bow my head.”
Some might think it’s a little rich for Djokovic to preach, especially when it comes to the injury-avoiding suggestion.
It is also highly questionable why he was able to arrive late for a scheduled race, with a ten-minute delay at the start because he said he received extra treatment after finishing his warm-up late.
In a more disciplined sport with stronger officials, such as golf, that would mean disqualification, but top players in tennis are too often a law unto themselves.
Djokovic played a smart tactical game, is now in the quarter-finals in Rome for the seventeenth time and will face the exciting Dane Holger Rune.
Norrie had two decent wins this week and is the top seed in Lyon, where the defending champion is, ahead of the French Open.
Nick Kyrgios’ management has suggested that he will not make his comeback at Roland Garros as planned as his recovery from knee surgery is taking longer than expected.
He still hopes to play on the grass.
Jack Draper, Britain’s top young man player, is reportedly optimistic he will return to action in Lyon before moving on to Paris.
Djokovic approached the net and was furious after receiving only the most superficial apologies