"Never seen Novak Djokovic reacting so strongly"; "Woke up and chose violence" - Serb applauded by fans for his dig at ATP over Coach of the Year snub

World No.1 Novak Djokovic's recent dig at the ATP over the Coach of the Year Award has found traction among tennis fans around the globe.

ATP has awarded Jannik Sinner's coaches, Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi, with the title of Coach of the Year. Cahill and Vagnozzi accompanied Sinner during his four title-winning runs in 2023.

The Italian lifted his maiden Masters 1000 trophy at the Canadian Open, won two ATP 500 titles at the Vienna Open and Beijing Open, and triumphed at the Open Sud de France.

However, Novak Djokovic felt his coach Goran Ivanisevic was hard done by the ATP, even though he extended congratulations to Sinner's coaches. Ivanisevic has helped win the Serb three Grand Slam titles and the year-end championships this season.

Djokovic, who has finished the year as the World No. 1 for the eighth time, took to his Instagram stories and wrote:

"Congratulations to Darren and Simone for a great season with Jannik. Goran, I guess we need to win 4/4 Slams in order for you to maybe (just maybe) be considered coach of the year. Winning Year End #1, 3 GS and WTF [World Tour Finals] and making history of this sport is not enough, my dear coach."

Novak Djokovic via Instagram stories

Tennis fans have now rallied behind the 36-year-old on the development, as one of them appreciated him on X (formerly Twitter) saying:

"Wow!!! Never seen Novak reacting so strongly! Very good, it was time to stop being nice and call it as it is!"

Another fan chimed in, saying:

"He is right. He gives the credit to Jannik and Darren & Simone, but really, this is so laughable. This was one of the greatest seasons in the history of this sport by any player. He knows very well how these awards are given, but this time he stood by his coach."

Another user was amused by Djokovic's statement and wrote:

"He really woke up and chose violence today."

Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:

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Novak Djokovic has defeated Jannik Sinner four times to date

Novak Djokovic (L) and Jannik Sinner congratulate each other

Novak Djokovic has beaten Jannik Sinner four times so far in his six matches against the Italian. Sinner's two victories have come in the 2023 season.

The duo first met in the year 2021 during the Monte Carlo Masters where the Serb clinched a straight set victory. They next squared off at the Wimbledon Championships in 2022 when Sinner put the Serb in a fix by winning the first two sets. The Italian, however, could not finish the job as his opponent clinched the next three sets.

In 2023, Djokovic and Sinner shared equal victories in their four battles. The 24-time Grand Slam winner defeated Sinner in the semifinals at the grasscourt Slam and in the summit clash of the ATP Finals. The 22-year-old, meanwhile, tasted success in the group stage of the year-end championship and Davis Cup semifinals.