Novak Djokovic incident ‘indefensible’ as Tim Henman calls out ‘chaos’

British tennis legend Tim Henman has offered his views on the abuse Novak Djokovic suffered at the hands of supporters during the Australian Open last month

The Serbian was forced to withdraw midway through his semi-final clash with Alexander Zverev, denying him the chance to win an all-time record 25th Grand Slam title. Throughout the tournament, Djokovic had faced relentless jeers from spectators, and the hostility continued as he exited the Rod Laver Arena after retiring with a hamstring injury.

Speaking to Mirror Sport, former British No. 1 Henman insisted there was no excuse for the crowd’s behaviour, though did acknowledge that Djokovic’s on-court antics often needlessly attracted trouble. “I think the fans got it totally wrong,” the 50-year-old said.

However, I’m not on social media, but what I hear goes on with him and his fans, it’s chaos isn’t it. And there have been times when he’s probably attracted that. But he absolutely doesn’t deserve to be booed off court after he’s had to retire

Henman went on to speculate whether Djokovic’s abrasive in-game demeanour stemmed from his desire to receive the same level of admiration that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal effortlessly command. “I think if you dig a bit deeper, in my opinion, he’s always craved the affection that’s been shown to Federer and Nadal,” he said.