The issue Novak Djokovic raised about the US Open in 2018 after watching Roger Federer play

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Novak Djokovic raised a concern at the 2018 US Open tournament which was marred with controversy.

Perhaps the most controversial moment came in the women’s singles final, where Naomi Osaka beat Serena Williams.

Despite it being Osaka’s first Grand Slam title, the main talking point after the match concerned Williams’ dispute with the chair umpire.

This was not the only controversial moment at the US Open that year, with Djokovic also raising a concern after his quarterfinal match.

What Novak Djokovic said the US Open needed to address relating to Roger Federer

After Djokovic came back from a serious elbow injury, he was seeded lower than previous years at number six.

This meant that many tennis fans were very excited about a looming quarterfinal between Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Djokovic and Federer were fierce rivals over the years, and had played in the final of the Cincinnati Open not long before.

However, that match did not come to fruition after Federer was stunned by John Millman in one of the biggest shocks in Grand Slam history.

Djokovic beat Millman in the subsequent quarterfinal, but he did not find it as easy as the straight sets scoreline would suggest.

When speaking to media after the match, Djokovic admitted that he had never faced heat like that before and he also pointed out that Federer was also uncharacteristically struggling in the conditions.

“I personally have never sweated as much as I have here,” Djokovic said after beating Millman. “I have to take at least 10 shirts for every match. It’s literally after two games you’re soaking. And Roger, he never sweats that much. But we saw him a couple of nights ago.

“I think that this tournament needs to address this. Because whether it’s night or day, we just don’t have air down there. It feels like a sauna. This has been definitely the toughest US Open in the last 10 years that I have played in in terms of conditions.”

This is not the last time that something like this has happened to Djokovic, who also struggled in the conditions in Shanghai last month.

What did Novak Djokovic say about the Serena Williams controversy

Despite struggling so much in the conditions, Djokovic was still there at the end of the tournament, beating Juan Martin del Potro to lift the US Open title for the first time in three years.

This enabled Djokovic to match Pete Sampras’ tally of 14 major titles, but the Serbian was still questioned about the women’s singles final involving Williams and Osaka, showing how big a story it was at the time.

Williams had received a lot of criticism for what she had during her altercation with the umpire, but Djokovic was actually in defence of his fellow player.

“Look, I love Serena, first of all. I really felt for her yesterday,” Djokovic said in his post-match press conference. “Tough thing for a chair umpire to deal with, as well. We have to empathize with him. Everyone was in a very awkward situation yesterday. A lot of emotions. Serena was crying. Naomi was crying. It was really, really tough.

“But I have my personal opinion that maybe the chair umpire should not have pushed Serena to the limit, especially in a Grand Slam final. Just maybe changed — not maybe, but he did change the course of the match. Was, in my opinion, maybe unnecessary. We all go through our emotions, especially when you’re fighting for a Grand Slam trophy.

“But I don’t think it’s time and place really to get into other subjects. I don’t see things as Mr. Simon does. I really don’t. I think men and women are, you know, treated in this way or the other way depending on the situation. It’s hard to generalize things, really. I don’t see it’s necessary really to debate that.

“I just feel like, as Serena said yesterday in the closing ceremonies, Osaka deserves to have her moment. As for Serena, she knows I love her. She really inspires everyone. To see her still being so dedicated and so committed to this sport, it’s inspiring really to me and to many tennis players, both men and women, around the world.”