WATCH: Djokovic Clashes With Umpire In Miami Over Early Time Violation
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Novak Djokovic clashed with umpire Fergus Murphy during his fourth-round match at the 2025 Miami Open.
Djokovic returned to the courts at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami after his first two wins. The Serbian player didn't have any issues against Rinky Hijikata and Camilo Ugo Carabelli before Lorenzo Musetti tried to test him.
But Djokovic was perfect against Musetti, beating the Italian player 6-2, 6-2, with the likes of Serena Williams, Juan Martin del Potro, and his coach Andy Murray, watching in the stands.
But the 24-time Grand Slam champion got off to a bad start. He was down 0-2 before he won nine games in a row to make it 6-2 and 3-0. And his comeback started when he clashed with the umpire of the match, Fergus Murphy.
Murphy gave Djokovic a time violation early in the match, which the 99-time ATP titlist didn't like. When he sat down during the changeover when leading 3-2, the Serbian player confronted the umpire.
Djokovic explained that he wasn't even close to crossing the shot clock during the first couple of games, and the first time he got even close to it, he received an immediate time violation, without any preceding soft warning.
"What are you trying to achieve. It's not your first match in your life, right? It's the fifth game of the match. First few games, no problem, I wasn't even close. First time I get close, one second longer, you give me a warning."
The 37-year-old player tried to explain to the match umpire that his decision to give him a time violation was a bit tone-deaf, but Murphy insisted that it wasn't his decision, but that he simply followed the automatic shot clock.
"It's because the shot clock is automatic, Novak. It starts automatically. That's the current system. because it starts automatically, you have to keep up with the clock."
Already for some time, the shot clocks at the tennis events are automatic, which means it's no longer the umpire who starts them. Instead, the shot clock starts automatically after the rally ends.
However, there are a few problems with that system. If players are in the middle of a five-set battle and they just play a 50-shot rally, it would be more than unreasonable to blindly follow the shot clock without looking at the circumstances.
Djokovic implied something similar to the umpire when he played against Musetti. He tried explaining that blindly following the shot clock might not be the best idea, trying to explain to the umpire that he should make adjustments based on the previous rally.
"So basically, shot clock gives me warning, not you? You have to keep up with the clock, right? So, you never in your life understood the moment that the match is in, that players are battling, and have a long rally. It doesn't apply to you, the rules are rules?"
Ultimately, this incident didn't distract Djokovic. Quite the opposite. He won six consecutive games after talking to Murphy and set up a quarter-final meeting with Sebastian Korda.
