“Ridiculous that Novak Djokovic was asked to explain” - Fans react to Serb denying 'disrespect' claims after skiing remark about Jannik Sinner

Tennis fans recently reacted to Novak Djokovic's denying claims that he disrespected Jannik Sinner after making a skiing-related remark about the World No.1. Both the Serb and Sinner are currently in Melbourne preparing for the 2025 Australian Open.

Ahead of beginning his 2025 season, Djokovic sat down with GQ Sports for an interview where he was asked to share the first word that comes to mind when he hears the names Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannik Sinner. Djokovic described Federer as "elegance," Nadal as "tenacity," Alcaraz as "charisma," and Sinner as "skiing."

The 24-time Grand Slam champion's choice to associate the Italian player with skiing did not sit well with many fans which is why he addressed the issue while speaking to the Serbian media ahead of the 2025 Australian Open. He stated that the idea he had intentionally disrespected Sinner was "ridiculous."

"Yes, I’ve seen it on social media that it’s being made into some kind of drama or a story, like I humiliated him or I’ve intentionally shown disrespect toward him. That’s ridiculous . It was one of those quiz type of interviews, where you have to think of something in a second," he said.

Novak Djokovic explained that during the interview, he mentioned skiing in connection with Jannik Sinner because he had seen the Italian skiing somewhere. The Serb mentioned that people thinking he was "disrespecting" Sinner was "rubbish."

"Sinner’s name came up and I had this image in my head of him skiing, because I saw he was skiing somewhere.That’s why I said ’skiing’, not because I don’t respect his achievements in tennis, on the contrary. He’s got all the attributes I’ve mentioned in others (Federer, Nadal, Alcaraz), and now people make it seem like I am disrespecting him. Rubbish," he added

Following the former World No.1's clarification, tennis fans took to social media to express their opinions on the situation. One fan stated that Djokovic even having to explain himself was "ridiculous."

“It’s ridiculous that he was asked to explain himself. Any reasonable person knows that skiing is the main thing Novak and Sinner have in common besides tennis,” a fan posted.

“Novak is never disrespectful to the people. This is really ridiculous,” a fan wrote

Many fans noted that Novak Djokovic's response in the interview did not indicate any intention to disrespect Jannik Sinner.

“I think it’s clear to everyone that Novak didn’t mean it in a bad way at all, certain people choose to view it that way on purpose because of their hatred & jealousy of Novak,” a fan posted.

“It’s ludicrous and also a sign of our times that this is even a thing - much less that he has to clarify something that would be obvious to anyone with half a brain,” a fan wrote.

Here are some other fan reactions:

“I feel bad for him. He shouldn't have had to clarify that, he didn't mean it as an insult or anything,” a fan posted.

“Guy had to come out and explain his innocent rapid fire questions answers..that's so embarassing and reflects low IQ of that mad bunch,” a fan wrote.

“Anyone with a working brain/common sense could see that he meant no disrespect to Sinner. Even Carlitos associates him with skiing, and understandably so. These journalists are the abaolute pits. Execrable vultures looking to create controversy, all of them,” a fan posted.

Novak Djokovic will face Nishesh Basavareddy in Australian Open 2025 1R while Jannik Sinner will take on Nicolas Jarry

Novak Djokovic at the 2025 Australian Open [Source: Getty]

Novak Djokovic is the seventh seed at the 2025 Australian Open and will take on wild card Nishesh Basavareddy in the first round of the tournament.

The 10-time Melbourne Major will be entering the tournament following a quarterfinal run at the Brisbane International. He had defeated Rinky Hijikata and Gael Monfils in the first and second rounds, respectively, before succumbing to eventual runner-up Reilly Opelka in the quarterfinals.

This upcoming match will be the first meeting between Djokovic and Basavareddy on the ATP Tour. The winner of this opening-round encounter will face either qualifier Jaime Faria or Pavel Kotov in the second round.

On the other hand, Jannik Sinner has not participated in any tournaments leading up to the 2025 Australian Open. He is the defending champion and top seed in the tournament and is scheduled to face Nicolas Jarry in the first round, with the winner progressing to meet either Taro Daniel or wild card Tristan Schoolkate in the second round.

Sinner and Jarry have previously faced each other twice on the ATP Tour, with each player claiming a victory. Their most recent encounter happened in the first round of the 2024 China Open, where the Italian emerged victorious with a scoreline of 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.