"Threw away the entire Laver Cup PR in a single day" - Tennis fans miffed with Novak Djokovic for his excitement over playing Tel Aviv Open in Israel

Novak Djokovic had a weekend full of highs and positive PR at the recently concluded Laver Cup. But he is now facing criticism from tennis fans for expressing his excitement upon arriving in Israel for the Tel Aviv Open.

The Serb is set to participate in both singles and doubles this week. He is playing doubles at the Tel Aviv Open with his former doubles partner Jonathan Erlich, who is playing his final career tournament.

The Laver Cup was the Serb's first tournament since Wimbledon, and he is aiming to get more match time under his belt with his participation at the Tel Aviv Open. The Serb opens his singles campaign on Thursday, while his first doubles match is on Wednesday.

Djokovic has won only one doubles title in his career, and that came with Erlich as his partner. With Erlich set to retire after the Tel Aviv Open, the Serb decided to join him for the doubles event in his final career tournament.

Upon arriving in Israel for the tournament, the 21-time Grand Slam champion wrote a message indicating his excitement at returning to the country.

"I am very happy and excited to be back in Israel. Looking forward to a great experience," Djokovic wrote on Twitter.

The Serb's positive portrayal of Israel and his thoughts on being there did not sit well with fans. Many believe Djokovic was being insensitive to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, which continues to see the loss of many Palestinian lives.

"Mf threw away the entire Laver Cup PR in a single day," one fan wrote on Twitter, reacting to the Serb's message.

"Get yourself a new PR Novak. And quick," another fan expressed.

Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:

"Hoping I can have a little bit of time outside of tennis to revisit the important places" - Novak Djokovic

Laver Cup 2022 - Day Two

At a pre-tournament press conference, Novak Djokovic looked back at his previous visits to Israel, the first of which was during a Davis Cup tie between Serbia and Israel in 2006. He said that he experienced a 'great atmosphere' at the stadium the last time and that he hopes to see packed crowds during his matches this week as well.

The Serb also stated that while his focus was on tennis, he would like to take some time off and visit various locations during his time in Tel Aviv.

"It has been quite a few years that I was not here. I think it was in 2006 that I was here for the first time playing a Davis Cup tie against Israel...One of the best and loudest atmospheres I have ever experienced. Very passionate people for sports here and it's great to see that," Djokovic said.

"It has been a while, I have forgotten most of the things I visited last time. So hoping I can have a little bit of time outside of tennis to revisit the important places...This week is mostly about tennis for me and trying to play well," he added.

The 35-year-old played three matches in the Laver Cup, one of which was a doubles match. He won his first two matches but lost his second singles match to Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Djokovic revealed after the Auger-Aliassime loss that he has been struggling with a wrist injury over the last few weeks.