Again and again: Djokovic’s biggest excitement in recent years

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Novak Djokovic provokes at the French Open with a Kosovo political message and warms people up – again, you have to say. Here is the list of his biggest annoyances.

One name especially stands for Djokovic’s probably most unsuccessful time: Pepe Imaz. The now 49-year-old Spaniard was the coach of the Serbian from 2016 to 2018. But rather than his sporting achievements, the former pro who runs a tennis academy in Marbella, Spain, is better known for his questionable spiritual methods. For example, he lets participants at his academy hug teddy bears and makes contact with spirits.

Since Imaz helped Djokovic’s brother Marko out of depression in 2013, Novak was enthusiastic about the guru’s method and even fired successful coach Boris Becker in 2016. But it didn’t pay off: During Imaz’s tenure, Djokovic failed to win a single Grand Slam title and lost his place at the top of the world. After almost two years, the time together was over.

Shortly before the Australian Open 2022, Novak Djokovic kept the sporting world in suspense for about two weeks. Although a corona vaccination was mandatory for entry into Australia at the time, the unvaccinated Djokovic still wanted to participate in the first Grand Slam tournament of the year thanks to an exemption.

But the row over his entry turned into a mud fight. After his permit was refused, the Serb took the matter all the way to court. After several negotiations, he was finally expelled twelve days after his first participation and banned from playing at the Australian Open. In the same year, he was also banned from participating in the US Open due to his vaccination status.

Unlike a year earlier, Djokovic was allowed to participate in the Australia Open 2023. But this year too, things did not stay quiet for the Serbs. After the match between him and Russian Andrei Rublev, videos are circulating on the internet in which Djokovic’s father Srdjan (62) is photographed with fans wearing the Russian war symbol Z and portraits of Vladimir Putin. In addition, the men greet the veteran of the superstar, the nationalist rocker boss Alexander Saldostanov.

The photos caused criticism and headlines around the world. His father was “abused” by Russian fans, the tennis star said a short time later. By then, however, the damage was already done – and Djokovic’s excitement file was a chapter richer.

Despite his sporting success, Novak Djokovic is not the most popular among tennis fans. So there are always provocations between the public and the Serbs during matches. At this year’s Australia Open, for example, he had drunken fans thrown out of the stadium for provocation.

And the referees are not spared either. The “Djoker” continues to mess with referees, most recently in May at the quarterfinals of the ATP tournament in Rome, when the Serb went over the entire match with referee Mohamed Lahyani. The most egregious example on this subject comes from 2020: during his round of 16 at the US Open, Djokovic shot a ball out of frustration and hit a linesman in the process. The top favorite will then be disqualified from the tournament.

The latest chapter in the excitement file. After his opening win at the 2023 French Open, Djokovic wrote “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia – stop the violence” on a camera lens. The Serb alludes to the conflict in Kosovo. On Monday, numerous soldiers from the NATO-led Kosovo Protection Force KFOR were injured in clashes in Serb-populated northern Kosovo.

“I am not a politician and I have no bad intentions. I know it is difficult. It just hurts me what is happening,” he told Serbian journalists after the game. It remains to be seen whether the action will have consequences.

Source : Blick