Fans of Novak Djokovic did not conceal their anger after the 2023 US Open promotional poster seemed to give little focus on the three-time champion.
The controversy stemmed from a promotional poster of the event which included a host of top stars in it that was shared on the official tournament handle on X with the caption, 'For all the marbles'. Among the players who were featured included Djokovic, Aryna Sabalenka, Ons Jabeur, Venus Williams, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, Jessica Pegula, and Coco Gauff.
The 2022 champions Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek took up the most space on the poster and were placed securely in the middle and in bigger dimensions. That didn't sit well with seething fans of Novak Djokovic who believed there was an agenda against their favorite player.
Some called it respectful, for putting Djokovic's picture in smaller dimensions. Being a three-time US Open champion, Djokovic has won more titles in New York than any other player in the draw.
With such unwavering outrage, the US Open X account was left with no choice but to pull it down, and have since deleted the post. It's not the first time that Djokovic fans have been at the center of a promotional storm.
Back in June, Wimbledon completely snubbed Djokovic's picture in any promotional material for the event. After furious criticism on social media, new posters were created and included both Wimbledon champions from the past year.
Wimbledon did not categorically comment on why Djokovic was snubbed in the first place but confirmed that he would have 'a prominent place in their strategy' as they approached the tournament, eventually including him in the promotional video for the 2023 Championships.
Djokovic is pursuing a record-equaling 24th Grand Slam crown in the next fortnight. A win over France's Alexandre Muller on Monday night will be enough to wrestle the No. 1 ranking from Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic can only meet the Spaniard in the final in New York.
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