Novak Djokovic got really angry during his first round-robin match at the year-end ATP tournament, the 2023 ATP Finals in Turin.
The experienced Serbian is rarely angry on the tennis court, and it has a lot to do with the fact that he wins the vast majority of the matches that he plays. However, when he gets angry, he's really angry, and he showed that also at the 2023 ATP Finals.
Taking on Holger Rune, who has troubled the Serbian in every match that the two played, it was expected that the match may get to the boiling point, for both players, who are known for their temperament.
The Dane broke first in the match, but he eventually lost the break and also the first set in the tie-break, 6-7(4). The first set lasted over 70 minutes, and fans in Turin already knew that they wouldn't be going home anytime soon.
The second set was no-less dramatic, as Rune once again led by one break, but once again, the 20-year-old lost his advantage. Yet, this time around, he was able to win the tie-break 7-6(1), and take the match to the decider.
In the third set of the match, it was Djokovic, who broke first this time around. The 24-time Grand Slam champion was almost perfect at the start of the deciding set, winning nine of the first ten points, and leading 2-0 and 15-0.
Yet, after that, the Serbian lost four consecutive points on his serve. The last one was especially painful, as Rune sent a forehand down the line, but the Dane didn't hit it cleanly as the sound suggested, yet, the ball has still landed right on the line according to the line judge.
Djokovic couldn't believe that, so he has requested a challenge, but that soon showed that the line judge was indeed right, and Rune's ball was in, meaning that the 20-year-old recovered the break.
After losing the one-break advantage in the third set, Djokovic, who is confident that he can win the ATP Finals, got really angry, as he destroyed one of his racquets next to his bench, and immediately after that, destroyed one more of his racquets.