'Roger Federer would have been treated differently', says former Top 10

The people of the web, both the fans of Novak Djokovic (Djokovic calls them "Nolefam", Nole's family) and the hateful trolls, went wild against Laura Clark, the lady from Kentucky hit in the throat by the angry throw of the champion who he had just suffered the break from rival Carreno Busta, whose name should have been covered by privacy and instead was re-launched first by the Serbian newspapers and then by the Daily Mail. Unrepeatable insults, s****t epithets, accusations of every kind, even death threats. Roger Federer would have been given preferential treatment to that which Novak Djokovic received at the US Open, says Serb’s former manager and former Top 10 Nikola Pilic.

Pilic on Novak Djokovic

“In my opinion, Novak Djokovic accidentally hit the line-judge with the ball,” Nikola Pilic told the press in Serbia as the fallout from the incident rumbles on. “I think he should have been punished with a confiscated game. It is not right to disqualify the first in the world because of this. I believe that the judge also acted a little, I don’t think she was so hurt. Do you think Roger Federer would be kicked out for something like this? No chance. This decision is tendentious.” Officials announced that the line judge was under the observation of the tournament doctor and will “return to work when she and the doctor feel it is appropriate." Besides the Djokovic incident, this week’s US Open has been notable for the absence of both Federer and Rafael Nadal. Nadal announced that he would not play in the tournament due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, while Federer is recovering from injury. Federer is out for the season while recovering from two knee surgeries. Nadal, the defending champion, opted to steer clear of New York in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and to put his energy into preparing for the rescheduled French Open. Djokovic was on the fence about playing until last month and entered knowing he could gain ground on Federer and Nadal. At 33 years old, it’s possible that Djokovic still has time to catch Margaret Court (24) and Serena Williams (23) on the all-time list of major victories. Prospects for that took a hit with his bizarre default during his fourth-round match. Perhaps what could come as a positive for Novak Djokovic is the fact that amid the restart of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the schedule has become jam-packed. In just one week's time, the Serb will be playing the Rome Masters, so he can get back to focusing on tennis.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/35rDKse