Novak Djokovic steamrolled his way past Roman Safiullin to reach the quarter-final of the Shanghai Masters, but the tennis great was left irked by one rule change.
The new 25-second automated serve clock rule has caused plenty of confusion at the event and Djokovic is the latest to make his frustration clear.
Frances Tiafoe lost his cool after he was given a time violation by the chair umpire during the crucial third-set tiebreak against Safiullin in the previous round as he “ran out of time” when he was serving.
The American launched an expletive-laden rant at the official at the end of the match as he screamed: “F*** you! F*** you, man. Seriously, f*** you! You f***ed me in this f***ing match.”
A day later Djokovic’s match against Safiullin also had some controversy and the 24-time Grand Slam winner expressed his frustration with Nacho Forcadell as is unimpressed that the automated rule change was made midway through the season, making it difficult for players to adapt.
“I get it’s not up to you. But the rule change is unbelievable,” he told Forcadell. “For four years we had a situation where we can’t get the towel. The ball kids are doing their best but they’re not trained. Without even notifying any players, they start this new rule. It’s incredible, honestly.
“I get it. You guys want to speed up the pace of the tennis match. But at the same time we’ve got to know if we’re starting the season this way. We can’t change it midway in the season.”
Despite his frustration, Djokovic notched up a 6-3, 6-2 victory to take his 2024 win-loss record to 35-8. He faces Jakub Mensik next in what will only be his third match since the US Open.
“Both last night’s match and tonight have been, maybe, some of the best matches I have played in a while, so I am just enjoying myself on the court,” he said. “When you play well and feel good, there is obviously a lot of joy in striking a tennis ball on the court.
“These sensations I have on the tennis court are some of the reasons why I keep on playing and keep on competing because I really believe that I can play at a very high level. Now, it’s a matter of keeping that consistency and also having a good time off the court.”
