"As with so many things, Novak Djokovic was wrong" - Fans react to Serb's heated argument with chair umpire over serve clock at Miami Open

Tennis fans have poured in with their opinions on Novak Djokovic's heated exchange with the chair umpire after receiving a time violation during the Serb's fourth-round clash against Lorenzo Musetti at the 2025 Miami Open. Djokovic won the match 6-2, 6-2, to seal his spot in the quarterfinals of the ATP Masters 1000 event.

The 24-time Major winner and the Italian's fourth-round match in Miami took place on Tuesday, March 25. In the fifth game of the first set, chair umpire Fergus Murphy gave the former No. 1 a time violation for exceeding the shot clock while serving.

Later, during a changeover, Novak Djokovic had a go at Murphy, setting off a back-and-forth between the player and the umpire.

"What are you trying to achieve. It's not your first match in your life right? It's the fifth game of the match right. First few games? No proplem, I wasn't even close. First time I get close, one second longer, you give me warning," the Serb told the chair umpire.

Murphy replied before a few more seconds of drama between the pair:

"It's because the shot clock is automatic, Novak. It starts automatically,"

Djokovic full argument with chair umpire over serve clock byu/TennisChannel intennis

Fans on Reddit were quick to deliver their reactions, with several suggesting that Murphy was right to issue a time violation for the ATP No. 5.

"As with so many things, Djokovic was wrong," a fan wrote.

"This umpire - Fergus - is well used to dealing with irate tennis giants," commented another.

"I feel like I've seen poor Fergus explain the shot clock to multiple players multiple times," another fan chimed in.

Here are some more reactions from fans to the controversial argument between the Serb and the chair umpire at the 2025 Miami Open:

""What are you trying to achieve?” asks Novak. Duh, the umpire is trying to get the player(s) to watch the clock. Achievement unlocked," wrote one fan.

"If the ball is a millimetre out, it’s out. If you go a second over the time limit, you’ve gone over the time limit and deserve a violation. If you step over the service line on your serve, it’s a foot fault. I don’t understand why players argue rules as if they’re meant to be subjective. Yes Novak, rules are rules," another added.

"24 grand slams and still can’t grasp that nobody wants to watch you bounce the ball for 2 hours," weighed in yet another fan.

Interestingly, the heated exchange seemed to fire the Serb up, as he proceeded to win the following nine games in succession before eventually closing out the match in a relatively straightforward fashion.

The legendary Serena Williams watched the 24-time Grand Slam champion in action on the night. After the match, the Serb gave a shoutout to the now-retired WTA icon and even revealed that he got a seal of approval from her following one of his signature down-the-line backhands.

Novak Djokovic discloses Serena Williams' approval of passing shot after Miami Open 2025 4R win

Novak Djokovic celebrates his fourth-round win over Lorenzo Musetti at the 2025 Miami Open (Source: Getty)

Djokovic was quizzed about his thoughts on former WTA No. 1 Serena Williams attending his fourth-round victory against Lorenzo Musetti at the 2025 Miami Open. The Serb disclosed that he had looked at her after hitting a down-the-line passing backhand to conclude a high-intensity rally with the Italian and that Williams had cheekily approved the shot.

"Actually, when I had that down-the-line passing shot, I pointed to her and asked her whether it was okay. She kind of said, 'Yeah, it was fine'. If Serena says it was fine, then it was amazing by everyone else's standards," the Serb said.

The now-retired Juan Martin del Potro, one of Djokovic's former rivals on the ATP Tour, was also in attendance. The now-retired Argentine took his place in the Serb's box, just behind coach Andy Murray.

Djokovic is set to lock horns with home hope Sebastian Korda in the quarterfinals of the Masters 1000 tournament.