"Once again Novak Djokovic correctly speaks out against the Establishment" - Fans react to Serb's criticism of Cincinnati Open umpiring controversy

Novak Djokovic recently slammed the umpiring controversy that marred the conclusion of the Cincinnati Open third-round clash between Jack Draper and Felix Auger-Aliassime on Friday, August 16. Draper was declared the winner by chair umpire Greg Allensworth, despite video replays later showing that the Brit being awarded the match point was an incorrect call. Fans have sided vociferously with Djokovic's stinging take on the issue.

Auger-Aliassime had clinched the first set 7-5 but lost the second 4-6. In the third and decisive set, Draper found himself with a match point leading 40-30 in the 10th game and served the ball out wide to the Canadian, who hit a backhand and kept the ball in play. In a bid to finish the point off quickly, the Brit rushed forward and attempted to hit a delicate drop volley. The ball looped up bizarrely, touched the net cord, but landed in Auger-Aliassime's court.

At the time, the Canadian had slowed down after noticing that Draper had gotten his attempted shot all wrong. The former World No. 6 assumed that Allensworth would award the point to him, and thus allowing a chance to create a breakpoint opportunity. To his utter disbelief though, the umpire awarded the point to Draper.

Auger-Aliassime had a lengthy exchange with Allensworth, later calling the supervisor out on the court as well. However, it was all for nothing, as the umpire stuck to his guns, which brought a controversial end to proceedings.

Meanwhile, as the controversy unfolded, Draper maintained that he was looking at Auger-Aliassime and did not see or feel anything specifically wrong with the shot. However, the Brit was open to the possibility of the point being replayed.

Video replays, which are available for live television and streaming viewers but not for players and umpires when they are on the court, later revealed that when Draper hit his attempted drop volley, the ball first bounced off the court and then off of his racket before making its way to the net cord. This was conclusive evidence that the Brit's shot was invalid and that the point should have gone Auger-Aliassime's way.

The incident sparked outrage as several active and former players, and coaches criticized the umpire and the lack of technology in tennis. Djokovic was one of them, as the Serb took to X and reposted rival Stefanos Tsitsipas' post featuring a brief clip of Draper's shot. The former World No. 1 wrote,

"It’s embarrassing that we don’t have video replay of these kind of situations on the court. What’s even more ridiculous is that we don’t have the rule in place that would allow chair umpires to change the original call based on the video review that happens off the court!"

The 24-time Major winner added:

"Everyone who watches TV sees what happened on the replay, yet the players on the court are kept in “dark” not knowing what’s the outcome. We have Hawkeye for line calls, we live in the technologically advanced 21st century! Please respective Tours, make sure this nonsense never happens again!"

One set of fans lauded Djokovic for "speaking out".

"Thank you for speaking out, Novak. And well said," a fan wrote.

"And once again Nole correctly speaks out against the establishment" commented another fan.

"Nole speaking facts!" another fan chimed in.

Another set of fans voiced their agreement with what the Serb wrote while bemoaning the lack of technology in tennis to prevent such incidents. A few fans also criticized Draper, claiming that he knew exactly how he had hit his attempted drop volley and should have conceded the point to the Canadian.

"Agreed! It’s time to update the rules and use technology to ensure fair play on the court," a fan wrote.

"This was atrocious, particularly because it was avoidable with technology," another commented.

"Remember, tennis is a gentleman’s game, Draper knew what happened and should be honest and if he isn’t then there’s karma. We can’t make the game 100% perfect," another fan weighed in.

"Guess we can’t expect the player to do the right thing…. He knew it was a shank of the court!" yet another fan wrote.

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Novak Djokovic had a run-in with Greg Allensworth earlier this year at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells

Novak Djokovic at the 2024 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells (Source: Getty)

In March this year, Djokovic was stunned by lucky loser Luca Nardi in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. The Serb was the No. 1 seed at the prestigious ATP Masters 1000 event, but a 4-6, 6-3, 3-6 loss to the Italian condemned him to an early exit.

Allensworth was the chair umpire officiating the match and had to face the wrath of Djokovic in the second set. The heated exchange came after the umpire awarded a point to Nardi, which Djokovic thought should not have stood. According to the Serb, Allensworth should have called hindrance after he claimed that the Italian had "literally stopped the point".

The 24-time Grand Slam champion is currently taking a brief break and is expected to return to action at the 2024 US Open, where main draw matches are set to commence from Monday, August 26.