"Novak Djokovic faced Nadal, Federer more than 100 times; Is he scared?": Fans furious over "cheap, tacky" question to Serb at Monte-Carlo Masters

Tennis fans were less than impressed by a journalist's controversial question to Novak Djokovic ahead of his 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters match against Lorenzo Musetti.

Djokovic, the top seed at the Masters 1000 event, kicked off his campaign with a 6-1, 6-2 win against Roman Safiullin in the second round on Tuesday, April 9. The Serb will now face Musetti for a place in the quarterfinals.

Interestingly, Novak Djokovic and Lorenzo Musetti’s previous clash came similarly in the third round of the tournament last year. At the time, the Serb came a cropper against the young Italian after a three-set battle.

It is worth noting that five of the World No. 1’s last nine losses have been against Italians. Apart from his loss to Musetti, he was thrice defeated by Jannik Sinner, and once by Luca Nardi at the recent Indian Wells Masters.

Taking note of his record, one journalist asked the Serb if he was “scared” of facing another Italian.

"What do you remember about the match that you had with him (Lorenzo Musetti) here last year. And if you’re kind of ‘scared’ of facing another Italian considering that you lost with Sinner in Australia and Nardi in Indian Wells," Djokovic was asked in his post-match press conference at the Monte-Carlo Masters.

The question did not sit well with tennis fans on X. Several fans rallied behind the 24-time Grand Slam and slammed the journalist for the seemingly “disrespectful” take.

"Big joke. this guy faced Nadal and Federer more than 100 times. is he scared of facing anybody? no way!" one fan said.

"That question is totally disrespectful, how in the world the best ever can/would be scared?. Vulgar, cheap, tacky, tasteless and unrefined ‘journalism,’" another fan said.

Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:

"If he was afraid of something, it was the war he experienced in his country, but a player?" one fan wondered.

"You guys just added fuel to the fire!" another fan said.

"It’s a silly question. Imagine asking the no 1 player in the world for years if they are scared. Such a silly and unserious take," one fan wrote.

"Of course he’s not scared. What an all time STUPID question. But thanks for possibly giving Nole just a little bit of extra motivation. He’ll be ready," another fan wrote.

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How Novak Djokovic responded to the journalist's question at Monte-Carlo Masters: "I'm not scared of anything"

Novak Djokovic (R) pictured with Lorenzo Musetti after his 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters loss

Novak Djokovic maintained a calm demeanor as he fielded the journalist’s controversial question at the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters. The Serb said that he is looking forward to the rematch against Lorenzo Musetti, and is “not scared of anybody.”

"I'm not scared of anything in anybody, but I really hope that I can get the chance to play him again and get another matchup here," he said in his post-match press conference before Musetti’s second-round win.

Djokovic who leads 3-1 in their head-to-head also praised the 2022 Hamburg Open champion’s claycourt prowess.

"He obviously is one of the most talented players on clay, a beautiful one-handed backhand. He's very athletic. He can do a lot of great things, and he's one of the most promising young players, not only from Italy, but generally for the world," he added.

Novak Djokovic is in pursuit of his 41st Masters 1000 title at the Monte-Carlo Masters. The two-time champion is additionally vying for a triple Career Golden Masters at the event.