Novak Djokovic had a tough day with chair umpire Damian Steiner during his loss to Andy Murray in the finals of the Rome Masters on Sunday.
Nole fell in straight sets 6-3, 6-3 to Murray and had some exchanges with Steiner. First he got a warning for throwing his racket in the second set, and then he argued with the umpire over the court conditions.
You can hear Djokovic lobby for a delay in action because of what he deemed unsafe court conditions:
Murray agreed about the court conditions and understood Nole’s frustrations.
Djokovic, meanwhile, elaborated on his issues with Steiner.
“These kind of matches are important for both players,” he said after the match via The Guardian. “There is a lot at stake. When you play a rival, and of course you want to win, sometimes you get too emotional.
“I threw a racket, it bounced over the fence and I got a warning instantly. So the chair umpire was on fire today. He really wanted to show his authority to me. So congratulations to him.”
Losing the match no doubt played a big role in the Serb’s frustration.
