When a titan falls, the tennis world quakes

A 16th century painting hangs in the Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels. Titled “The fall of Icarus,” it shows a boy falling from the sky while the rest of life goes on, uninterrupted and unconcerned. Borrowed from Greek mythology, it describes the perils of hubris while relating the story of Icarus whose father created wings out of wax for him with a warning not to fly too close to the sun. But the child did not heed his father’s advice and flew higher and higher until his wings melted and he crashed to the ground. The painting conveys the sad truth that every man’s tragedy is his own. It does not disturb other peoples’ lives. The terrifying message of Pieter Bruegel’s painting stared at us recently in Flushing Meadows, New York, where the US Open tennis matches were played. A world champion, winner of 17 grand slams and the wonder boy of 21st century tennis, was unceremoniously disqualified from the tournament. His crime? He smashed the ball in a fit of pique and accidentally injured a lineswoman. Djokovic left the stadium, the city, and fled. The matches continued as if nothing had happened. The winners took home their trophies. Everything became normal again. The world’s Number One tennis star was the ultimate loser in this drama.

The US Open, conducted by the International Tennis Federation, is a major sports event. This year, it was decided to conduct the tournament without spectators due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The players entering the city were quarantined, tested for the virus and had to continue testing throughout the tournament. They also had to wear a face mask, except while playing, according to CDC regulations. One can imagine the stress and frustration of players who also had to play to empty seats. For champions used to the cheering of 50,000 spectators, this bare scenario must have been disheartening. Tennis is a peoples’ game, involving not just players, umpires, linemen and ball boys but an arena of cheering/booing spectators. It cannot be reduced to a cerebral activity like a game of chess. Players, especially champions of Djokovic material, do need public participation and support. He may not have enjoyed much of the latter recently, but the lack of physical spectators may have altered his mood while playing, despite a worldwide virtual audience watching.

The 33-year-old champion had also come to this prestigious tournament with a lot of baggage. He had recently formed a rival professional tennis players association that was publicly opposed by both Nadal and Federer. Earlier to this, he had arranged a series of exhibition matches which bypassed social distancing and other safety measures. This resulted in four players, including himself, contracting the coronavirus. Weekend nightclub parties, where all safeguards were thrown to the wind, did not help improve his image. Yet, he came with full confidence that he would win this tournament and was playing exceptionally well until that unfortunate episode.

Novak Djokovic has always been a maverick. Sadly, mavericks are never popular. An ardent advocate of natural healing, he refused to be vaccinated against Covid-19 (when a vaccine does become available), fought against surgery to correct sports injuries and prescribed his own diet and medication during matches. He has not behaved like a world-class champion on court, either. He is known to have aimed a ball once at his own coaching team sitting in the front row of the spectators’ gallery. He made an angry swipe in the French Open last year and almost hit a line judge when the racquet flew out of his hand. Even this time, before his disqualification, he smashed the advertisement hoarding to add to his other misdemeanours on court. As the unanimous reaction to this incident showed, he had few supporters for his unprofessional behaviour. A world champion has to show greater restraint to be a role model for younger players.

Yet -- and there is always a yet – it is impossible not to feel sad that a player of his calibre lost a prestigious title, another Grand Slam, and the goodwill of tennis enthusiasts the world over. There is a certain naivete about this unconventional genius who sits on the mud and chews the grass in Wimbledon after winning a tournament. An oddball who throws his perspiration drenched shirt at the spectators after a gruelling match. A clown who mimics his rivals in the locker room. A tennis virtuoso who wonders why the crowds cheer the loser when he is winning! This joker is a complete foil to the elegant Roger Federer who only has to swing his racquet to have the crowds swooning. Whether he likes it or not, Djokovic will always be in the shadow of his rivals, no matter how well he plays the game.

He did not even play the rules of the game well this time. Instead of apologising to the organisers and spectators for his rude behaviour, he argued “It’s not an issue for me. It’s not the first time I did it!” Again, running away from the stadium and the situation was a bad move. He is said to have sent an online apology afterwards. But it was too late. He had irrevocably damaged his reputation. Let us hope that the ongoing French Open will restore it. The world expects not just good tennis but good manners from its champions. This player must know that reputations become fragile with fame, and a little humility is not a bad thing. Sadly, the higher such reputations soar, the greater their fall. Bruegel’s painting said it all.