Novak Djokovic may not have been playing all that much at the moment, but his fanbase have still found a way to get annoyed regardless.
The Serbian boasts a passionate following, and rightly so given he is one of the greatest tennis players and sportsmen of all time.
His dominance is unrivalled, and his longevity is admirable. However, this year has been tough for him.
Despite playing just three tournaments, to not have a title by May is unheard of for Djokovic.
That frustration has clearly spilt over into his fanbase, who have now inexplicably directed their anger towards the Cincinnati Open.
Novak Djokovic fans fume over Carlos Alcaraz post
The Masters 1000 event, which Djokovic has claimed on three occasions, is currently in his possession after beating Carlos Alcaraz last year in an enthralling match.
Coming from one set down, and suffering from intense exhaustion that was clearly hampering both players, he miraculously brushed aside his disappointment from the month earlier at Wimbledon to get revenge on the young Spaniard.
It was a three-set battle for the ages, and one which either player deserved to win.
But, fans found it strange when, whilst seeking to celebrate Alcaraz’s recent 21st birthday, the official X account of the Cincinnati Open opted to relive the final with the caption: ‘Last year on August 20th, a 20 year old Carlos Alcaraz gave us a legendary performance in the longest “best-of-three sets” final in @atptour history.
‘What a final and what a player!’
This did not go down well amongst Djokovic fans, who were quick to remind the account who actually came out victorious in that final.
One user replied: It looks as @DjokerNole is not playing #Cincy this year. This is the only explanation for this salty tweet. The epic final it was, but highlighting the loser while not mentioning the 36 year old winner is strange, to say the least’.
Hopefully we can see another classic showdown like the 2023 Cincinnati final
Regardless of this somewhat unnecessary rebuttal, hopefully 2024 can prove to be another opportunity for us to see Djokovic and Alcaraz lock horns a few more times.
After all, when these two take to the same court, it always promises stunning tennis.
As a couple of supremely athletic and technically gifted superstars, it never fails to live up to the hype.
Cincinnati was the pinnacle of this, alongside that aforementioned Wimbledon final which saw the 21-year-old claim just his second Grand Slam title.
Hopefully, should Alcaraz return to fitness and Djokovic start playing more often, we will be guaranteed to see them face off in the latter stages of a big tournament once again.
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