"This is disrespectful, doing this cause he’s losing" - Tennis fans call out Novak Djokovic for heated exchange with chair umpire in Italian Open QF

Novak Djokovic's argument with the chair umpire during his quarterfinal defeat to Holger Rune at the Italian Open has received backlash from tennis fans.After losing the first set 6-2, Djokovic managed to level the scores in a rain-interrupted second set. However, Rune mounted a strong comeback in the deciding set as he raced to a 4-0 lead and ultimately won the match 6-2, 4-6, 6-2.A controversial moment took place in the third set, which further amped up the drama quotient of the contest. Serving at 0-2, 15-30, Novak Djokovic was handed a time violation, after which he snapped at chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani. Djokovic was seemingly unhappy with how long Lahyani took to call out the score.“What’s the drama, waiting in between English and Italian? What are you acting here or what?” the Serb yelled.“This is how you do what? Why do you call the score for 20 seconds? Just call it a score, for God’s sake!” he added. Tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg praised the 22-time Grand Slam champion for directly calling out Lahyani's &quot;showmanship.&quot;&quot;Never seen a player directly call out Mo Lahyani’s showmanship, but this is overdue. Good on Novak. I have a suspicion Lahyani might even be a Netflix subject this cycle (he’s been mic’d up often)…seems to be acting especially over the top, even for him,&quot; Rothenberg tweeted.Ben Rothenberg@BenRothenbergNever seen a player directly call out Mo Lahyani’s showmanship, but this is overdue. Good on Novak.I have a suspicion Lahyani might even be a Netflix subject this cycle (he’s been mic’d up often)…seems to be acting especially over the top, even for him.1873146Never seen a player directly call out Mo Lahyani’s showmanship, but this is overdue. Good on Novak.I have a suspicion Lahyani might even be a Netflix subject this cycle (he’s been mic’d up often)…seems to be acting especially over the top, even for him. https://t.co/j7CGbZoRHeRothenberg's praise for Djokovic's behavior, however, received criticism from several fans. They suggested that the Serb had only engaged in the argument because he was on the verge of losing the match.&quot;Novak just happened to choose the moment he realized that his match against Rune was hopeless to do us all this great service of calling out the best umpire on the tour, ok. Or, more likely, it was convenient rage projection,&quot; a fan commented.Tennis In the Park 🇺🇦@TennisInthePar1@BenRothenberg Novak just happened to choose the moment he realized that his match against Rune was hopeless to do us all this great service of calling out the best umpire on the tour, ok. Or, more likely, it was convenient rage projection.702@BenRothenberg Novak just happened to choose the moment he realized that his match against Rune was hopeless to do us all this great service of calling out the best umpire on the tour, ok. Or, more likely, it was convenient rage projection.&quot;Good on Novak? This is disrespectful. He's doing this cause he's losing,&quot; one user commented.AO@aalexotero1@BenRothenberg Good on Novak? This is disrespectful. He’s doing this cause he’s losing.100@BenRothenberg Good on Novak? This is disrespectful. He’s doing this cause he’s losing.Many other fans questioned Djokovic's problem with Lahyani's way of calling the score, given that he had played on the tour for 20 years without being affected by it before.&quot;Mo is known for the distinctive way he announces the score, he’s been doing it his entire career. It hasn’t bothered Novak in 20 years he’s been a pro, so why is it bothering him now?,&quot; a fan commented.Ellie@alwaysflopera@BenRothenberg Mo is known for the distinctive way he announces the score, he’s been doing it his entire career. It hasn’t bothered Novak in 20 years he’s been a pro, so why is it bothering him now?3379@BenRothenberg Mo is known for the distinctive way he announces the score, he’s been doing it his entire career. It hasn’t bothered Novak in 20 years he’s been a pro, so why is it bothering him now?😂&quot;So Novak is all of a sudden upset after 20 years of mo doing the score like that .. yeah right...bad take from you,&quot; another fan posted.Shanxter@Shanxterx@BenRothenberg So Novak is all of a sudden upset after 20 years of mo doing the score like that .. yea right…bad take from you12@BenRothenberg So Novak is all of a sudden upset after 20 years of mo doing the score like that .. yea right…bad take from youHere are some more fan reactions:Dr Balraj Shukla | બલરાજ@balrajshukla@BenRothenberg Whenever I see such outbursts from Nole the first thing I check is the scoreline. Then my first reaction is always, &quot;Ah... Explains.&quot;1071@BenRothenberg Whenever I see such outbursts from Nole the first thing I check is the scoreline. Then my first reaction is always, &quot;Ah... Explains.&quot;Mike Shaffrey@MPS0816@BenRothenberg Djokovic is the best of all time but also the worst baby when he's losing. I can't stand watching him when he gets like this.36@BenRothenberg Djokovic is the best of all time but also the worst baby when he's losing. I can't stand watching him when he gets like this.Koen Meewis@KMeewis@BenRothenberg Novak is just a bad loser95@BenRothenberg Novak is just a bad loserAlessandro Fanelli@redmanhsl@BenRothenberg He's always done it like that. If you complain only when you feel it hurts yourself, then you're a hypocrite. The countdown clock is clearly visible to players so he should've complained immediataly, not after he got called for the delay.51@BenRothenberg He's always done it like that. If you complain only when you feel it hurts yourself, then you're a hypocrite. The countdown clock is clearly visible to players so he should've complained immediataly, not after he got called for the delay.anu mathimugan@deedeewhiteshep@BenRothenberg Nah Mo's alright , one of the better umpires on the tour .22@BenRothenberg Nah Mo's alright , one of the better umpires on the tour .ON🔛TOP🔝@N95732837@BenRothenberg What a bad looser Novak is …then some people seem “surprised” that fans prefer much more Rodger or Rafa …221@BenRothenberg What a bad looser Novak is …then some people seem “surprised” that fans prefer much more Rodger or Rafa …Paul Wilson@dubyasfc@BenRothenberg Narrator: you guessed it, he was losing15@BenRothenberg Narrator: you guessed it, he was losingI ❤️ Tennis@TENNISUSA365@BenRothenberg Novak was losing… it wouldn’t have been an issue had that not been the case.7@BenRothenberg Novak was losing… it wouldn’t have been an issue had that not been the case.Betty Scott 𓃵@Betty_A_Scott@BenRothenberg The #1 drama Queen calling out someone for being dramatic. 🤣🤡34@BenRothenberg The #1 drama Queen calling out someone for being dramatic. 🤣🤡😭👶How Novak Djokovic has fared during the clay-court season so farNovak Djokovic at the 2023 Italian OpenNovak Djokovic commenced his 2023 claycourt campaign with a straight-sets victory over Ivan Gakhov at the Monte-Carlo Masters. However, he was unable to progress further in the tournament, losing to Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 5-7, 4-6 in the third round.The Serb competed at the Srpska Open next, where he battled past Luca Van Assche 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-2 before falling to compatriot Dusan Lajovic in straight sets. His title defense at the Italian Open came to an end at the hands of Holger Rune in the quarterfinals.

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