World No. 1 smashes racquet, angrily tears his shirt and yells at the chair umpire as he goes down to 19th-ranked Bautista in Shanghai
Novak Djokovic smashes his racquet after losing a point against Roberto Bautista in their semi-final at Shanghai on Saturday. Pic/AFP
Novak Djokovic smashes his racquet after losing a point against Roberto Bautista in their semi-final at Shanghai on Saturday. Pic/AFP
Shanghai:âu00c2u0080u00c2u0088Novak Djokovic smashed his racquet, angrily tore his shirt and raged at the chair umpire as he was stunned 6-4, 6-4 in the Shanghai Masters semi-finals by Roberto Bautista on Saturday.
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The world number one has been out of sorts since he won his first French Open title in June, losing early at Wimbledon and the Olympics and complaining he had lost motivation.
The 29-year-old Serb, whose top ranking is under threat from Andy Murray, hummed to keep up his spirits during his quarter-final escape against German qualifier Mischa Zverev.
But the three-time champion failed to keep his cool in a stormy appearance at Shanghai's Qi Zhong Tennis Centre as his nosedive in form continued.
Djokovic later admitted he "didn't feel good" mentally, and it showed as he continued his tirade at Brazilian chair umpire Carlos Bernardes.
"When you go to change your racquet, I went to change my (ripped) shirt and then he gives me a warning. Well, he was the star of the show. That's what he wanted to be today," Djokovic grumbled while addressing the media after the game.
Murray in final
Andy Murray who has won the Shanghai Masters on two previous occasions (2010 and 2011), overcame Frenchmen Gilles Simon 6-4, 6-3 to secure his place in Sunday's final against Bautista.
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