Tag: Novak Djokovic

UCLA QB Justyn Martin plays catch with tennis icon Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic at UCLA was a fun sight to see recently.

An unlikely duo played some pitch and catch at UCLA on Thursday this week.

Bruins rising sophomore quarterback Justyn Martin threw around the pigskin with 24-time Grand Slam champion and tennis icon Novak Djokovic.

A video released by Djokovic on X shows him and Martin working out and spinning it at a UCLA facility. In addition, Djokovic worked on his serve at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. Djokovic greeted fans, signed balls, and took some selfies as well.

Ranked #1 in the world, Djokovic made the stop in Westwood ahead of the Indian Wells Open, played in Indian Wells, California on March 3rd.

Not to be lost in the situation is Martin. While he has yet to take a snap at the college level, he was a four-star recruit from Inglewood High School.

Though Martin lags in the depth chart, his high school tape displays his cannon for an arm.

Rising senior Ethan Garbers is primed to be the starting quarterback for the Bruins in 2024, but if Martin can challenge him early in training camp, Martin could potentially fight for the QB1 job in Westwood with his incredible physical traits.

Photos: 2023 Ryder Cup All-Star Match featuring Novak Djokovic, Gareth Bale and more celebrities

Check out some of the best photos from the matches here.

The 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome gets underway Friday morning with four foursomes matches, the first going off at 1:35 a.m. ET — good luck to everyone setting that alarm.

On Wednesday, however, it was time for the celebrities to battle it out.

Colin Montgomerie and Corey Pavin are the two captains, and including them, there are six players on each team. On Team Montgomerie are Gareth Bale (football —or soccer to the Americans  — legend), Garrett Hilbert (Dude Perfect member), Leonardo Fioravanti (Italian surfer), Novak Djokovic (tennis legend) and Kipp Popert.

Team Pavin consists of Andriy Shevchenko (former football professional), Kathryn Newton (American actress, best known for her role as Cassie Lang in Marvel’s Antman series), Victor Cruz (American football legend), Carlos Sainz (F1 driver) and Tomasso Perrino.

Check out some of the best photos from the 2023 Ryder Cup All-Star Match below.

Novak Djokovic hangs up the phone on Ben Shelton with ice-cold celebration at US Open

Novak Djokovic gave the budding star a taste of his own medicine after knocking off Ben Shelton in straight sets during Friday’s semifinal.

Ben Shelton’s magical run at the 2023 U.S. Open came to an end on Friday afternoon.

The 20-year-old stunned No. 10-seeded Francis Tiafoe in the men’s singles quarterfinal round, but he was overpowered by two-seeded Novak Djokovic, a three-time singles champion at the event, in the semifinal round at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.

After knocking off Tiafoe on Tuesday night, Shelton sported his trademark phone celebration. But when Djokovic defeated Shelton in straight sets to advance to the final round, the all-time leader in men’s Grand Slam singles titles returned the favor.

Djokovic mimicked Shelton’s phone hand signal before emphatically hanging it up.

Shelton, who turned pro last August and reached the quarterfinal round of his first Grand Slam appearance at the Australian Open earlier this year, undoubtedly has an incredibly bright future ahead of him, potentially as the face of U.S. men’s tennis.

But he ran into a juggernaut in Djokovic — one of the greatest players of all time — who didn’t hesitate to give Shelton a taste of his own medicine.

WATCH: Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic imitates Travis Kelce at U.S. Open

Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic imitated #Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce after winning his match at the U.S. Open on Tuesday.

Travis Kelce’s iconic homage to classic Beastie Boys diddy Fight For Your Right has officially gone mainstream in the sports scene after tennis superstar Novak Djokovic imitated the Kansas City Chiefs tight end on Tuesday at the U.S. Open.

After Djokovic’s win against Taylor Fritz that sent him to the Open’s semifinals, the beloved tennis legend took to the microphone to tell fans exactly what they need to do if they intend to party.

A clip of the affair was posted by the U.S. Open’s official Twitter account, which made an obligatory reference to Kelce, who has popularized the lyric in contemporary times.

While Djokovic’s delivery of the line was received with a bit less enthusiasm by the crowd in attendance at the U.S.T.A Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, his gusto in delivery was up to Kelce’s standard.

The three-time U.S. Open winner may get his chance to see Kelce in action on Thursday when the Chiefs face the Detroit Lions for the first game of the NFL’s 2023 regular season.

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Carlos Alcaraz delighted in Novak Djokovic’s classy joke about losing to him at Wimbledon

This was a perfect way to give Alcaraz his flowers.

Sunday saw Novak Djokovic once again break his racquet in frustration during a tough Men’s Wimbledon Final loss. But it’s worth noting that Djokovic only specifically threw another tantrum because world No. 1 and first-time Wimbledon winner Carlos Alcaraz gave him all he could handle in a tense match.

When Djokovic was asked to reflect on his defeat post-match, with the heat of the moment behind them, he made sure to pay tribute to Alcaraz’s performance as a bright 20-year-old. He did it by making a classy joke about how Alcaraz actually surprised him with a sterling performance on Wimbledon’s trademark grass.

And as a growing friendly rival, Alcaraz absolutely loved it:

In case you’re not sure what Djokovic referred to when saying he thought Alcaraz would only give him “trouble” on other surfaces, he’s partly calling back their semifinal match at the 2023 French Open earlier this summer. Alcaraz made some incredible plays at Roland-Garros before eventually fading down the stretch.

That, of course, didn’t happen to Alcaraz at Wimbledon, and Djokovic appropriately applauded his young peer for holding it together for the big win.

Novak Djokovic childishly smashed his racquet in frustration after losing a break in epic Wimbledon Final

Throwing a tantrum in a tough loss is classic Djokovic.

Entering Sunday’s Men’s Wimbledon Final, Novak Djokovic had a chance to break the all-time Open record for Grand Slam titles. But first, he had to overcome the young superstar and current world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.

While some expected Djokovic to cruise, Alcaraz gave the arguable tennis GOAT all he could handle in an epic five-set match. And when Alcaraz started to pull away in the fifth set, winning a crucial break en route to his first-ever Wimbledon title, Djokovic predictably lost his cool in the worst way.

He does, after all, have a history.

In this case, the Serbian athlete once again smashed and completely destroyed his racquet against the post like a child, showing anything but the grace and composure of a champion.

The least Djokovic can do in a tough loss is not … destroy things. There’s something to be said for discretion and taking a defeat in dignity. This was a terrible look for someone who carries themselves like an all-time great.

What is a hindrance call in tennis?

Novak Djokovic was called for hindrance during his Wimbledon semifinal win Friday.

Novak Djokovic is just one match victory away from his 24th Grand Slam title, which would set the all-time record for men or women in the Open Era and break his tie with Serena Williams at 23.

The No. 2-ranked player in the world won his Wimbledon semifinal match Friday, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4), over No. 8 Jannik Sinner to advance to Sunday’s final, when he’ll face either No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz or No. 3 Daniil Medvedev. But Djokovic’s semifinal win had a super surprising moment.

During the second set against Sinner, Djokovic returned the ball and let out a loud and extended grunt. It was apparently too much for the chair umpire, who called the 36-year-old Serbian player for hindrance.

So what is hindrance? Simply, the ATP Tour’s 2021 rulebook described it as: “A hindrance may result (1) from a corrected call by an official or (2) from an inadvertent event that occurs on-court”.

But the section also notes that a “A distraction occurring on-court may be ruled inadvertent (unintentional) or ruled deliberate.” More via the 2021 ATP Tour rulebook:

Any player who created the hindrance must be advised that the next time play is stopped by the Chair Umpire because of that player’s similar actions; it shall result in a loss of point. …

Any distraction caused by a player may be ruled deliberate and result in the loss of a point (intentional or unintentional). Deliberate is defined as the play- er meant to do what it was that caused the hindrance or distraction.

This grunt from Djokovic certainly seems unintentional, but the rule clearly states the call leads to a loss of a point regardless of intentionality.

Here’s another example, from the 2021 ATP Tour rulebook:

Opponent Makes Noise

Case: During play, a player thinking he has hit a winner, shouts “vamos”, “come on”, “yes”, etc. as his opponent is in the act of hitting the ball.

Decision: If the Chair Umpire rules that a hindrance has occurred then, as the sound or exclamation that caused the hindrance was deliberate, the point shall be awarded.

23 awesome Novak Djokovic photos from his 23 singles Grand Slam victories

Novak Djokovic called by Wimbledon umpire for ‘hindrance’ during point because he… grunted too long?

Too much grunting, apparently.

Novak Djokovic, the No. 2 seed at Wimbledon, was fighting for a point in the second set of the men’s semifinals against No. 8 Jannik Sinner when the chair umpire called out one word that stopped play.

“HINDRANCE.”

For those unfamiliar, hindrance is called when a player or non-player intentionally or unintentionally interferes with another players ability on the court. If intentional, the perpetrator will lose the point. If unintentional — think a bird flying down or a headband coming off mid-play — they will simply replay the point.

Sinner was awarded the point, meaning the chair umpire deemed Djokovic acted intentionally.

So, what did he do? Well, he grunted too long.

He clearly didn’t agree, but the point went to Sinner. What do you think? Did he grunt too long?

23 awesome Novak Djokovic photos from his 23 singles Grand Slam victories

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23 awesome Novak Djokovic photos from his 23 singles Grand Slam victories

A look back at Novak Djokovic’s incredible tennis career through Grand Slam wins.

When Novak Djokovic won the 2023 French Open, what many tennis fans assumed was inevitable happened, and now the Serbian player stands alone at the top of the men’s game.

His French Open victory — his third at Roland Garros — delivered Grand Slam win No. 23, breaking the two-way tie he previously had with Rafael Nadal at 22. At one point after Djokovic’s 2021 Wimbledon win, he, Nadal and Roger Federer were tied with 20 apiece.

But now, the men’s singles Grand Slam record belongs solely to Djokovic — though currently, he’s in a tie with Serena Williams for the all-time singles Grand Slam record in the Open Era — and he’s looking to add to it. So as Djokovic looks to rewrite more tennis history, here’s a look back at his 23 Grand Slam wins, including 10 Australian Open victories.

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