"There's just no need to do dumb stuff like this"- Tennis fans react to Novak Djokovic throwing his racquet to the audience during his SF match at the 2022 Astana Open

Novak Djokovic advanced to the Astana Open final after Daniil Medvedev retired midway through their semifinal clash on Saturday. In the summit clash, the 35-year-old Serb will go up against third-seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Medvedev and Djokovic headed into the decider after the score stood at 4-6, 7-6(6) when the Russian surprised everyone by retiring from the contest.

After failing to intercept a backhand from Medvedev at 15-15 in the second set, Djokovic hurled his racquet into the crowd during his return game at 5-4. Since no one was injured by the racquet, it was fortunate that he was not disqualified. However, the Serb was given a brief warning by the chair umpire.

The event didn't seem to be well received by tennis fans, as they vented their displeasure on Twitter. One user believed that Novak Djokovic threw the racket on purpose and wrote:

"This was definitely intentional idk why he was so shocked for receiving a warning."

Another user questioned the Serb's motive for throwing the racquet and described it as "dumb stuff."

"Why is he throwing his racket into the crowd like that? There's just no need to do dumb stuff like this," the user tweeted.

Another account questioned why no serious action was taken against Djokovic, and wrote:

"So we're just cool with Novak hurling a raquet into a crowd or?"

Here are a few more reactions:

"I'm still surprised that he retired this match, he looked completely fine" - Novak Djokovic on Daniil Medvedev's midmatch retirement

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In his on-court interview, Novak Djokovic expressed his surprise at Daniil Medvedev's unexpected mid-match exit due to tearing an adductor muscle in his leg. The Serb expressed his hope that the injury was not serious and praised the Russian for being a "great guy, a fighter, and a big competitor."

"I really hope that his injury is nothing too serious," Djokovic said, adding, "I know Daniil, he’s a great guy, he’s a fighter, he’s a big competitor. He wouldn’t retire a match if he didn’t feel that he [could] continue or [if it wouldn't] worsen his injury. He told me that he pulled an adductor muscle in his leg."

The 35-year-old added that Medvedev played better in both sets than he did and expressed his sadness for the unexpected ending to a good match.

"It was such a close match, particularly in the second set. I would probably say he was a better player on the court in both sets. I was fighting and trying to find a way. I found a way to win the second, but I’m just sad for the tournament and for these people who were enjoying the battle, and for Daniil that it had to end this way," Novak Djokovic said.