Novak Djokovic faces brutal online hate as the World No. 1 bows out of Indian Wells

Novak Djokovic was labeled a crybaby by tennis fans online.

Novak Djokovic argues with chair umpire at 2024 Indian Wells (Images via Imago)

Serbian tennis ace Novak Djokovic was under the pump during his third-round match at the 2024 Indian Wells. While Djokovic eventually lost the match to Luca Nardi in three sets, the Serbian arguing with the chair umpire during the match caught the attention of tennis fans online.

The 36-year-old was not happy with the chair umpire awarding a point to Nardi in the second set. It all started when Luca Nardi seemed to stop while returning a shot. As Djokovic served for the Ad-in for the third game of the second set, Nardi returned but with a pause.

The Italian youngster thought the serve was out and seemed to be stopping. However, Nardi eventually went with the return shot which created confusion for Djokovic. Although the Serbian returned that shot from Nardi, Novak Djokovic stood still on the court as Nardi hit a winner.

The 36-year-old was then seen complaining to the chair umpire about Nardi getting the point. Djokovic claimed that Nardi stopped which made him believe that the point stopped. The chair umpire, however, clarified that it was not the case and the ball was still in play. This further led to the Serbian questioning the judgment.

Fans berate Novak Djokovic for arguing with the chair umpire

The incident caught the attention of the tennis fans online as they berated Novak Djokovic for arguing with the chair umpire. Most of them criticized the Serbian for his lack of awareness of the rules. A few also claimed that Djokovic himself has won many points the same way.
Novak Djokovic (Image via IMAGO)
Check out how tennis fans reacted to Novak Djokovic arguing with the chair umpire.

Notably, Djokovic won the second set 6-3 but could not save the match. Nardi won it 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to pull off probably the biggest upset in the Indian Wells Open history.