Tennis News Today: Novak Djokovic's split with ex-coach Goran Ivanisevic reportedly tied to big argument at Indian Wells; Andy Roddick disapproves of fan being made to return caught ball in Jannik Sinner’s Miami Open 4R match

S Shahi
Novak Djokovic and Goran Ivanisevic (L), Andy Roddick (R)
Novak Djokovic and Goran Ivanisevic (L), Andy Roddick (R)

Novak Djokovic's fallout with his former coach Goran Ivanisevic had reportedly stemmed from a dispute during the 2024 BNP Paribas Open.

Andy Roddick expressed his disappointment after a fan was forced to return a caught ball during Jannik Sinner's fourth-round match at the Miami Open. Meanwhile, Hubert Hurkacz threw his racket in anger over a net touch call during his fourth-round clash against Grigor Dimitrov in Miami.

Also, Miami Open Director James Blake criticized Casper Ruud's complaints about poor tournament conditions.

On that note, here's a recap of today's top tennis headlines:


Novak Djokovic's split with ex-coach Goran Ivanisevic reportedly linked to an argument during the Indian Wells Masters

Novak Djokovic ended his partnership with former coach Goran Ivanisevic, reportedly due to a disagreement during the 2024 Indian Wells Masters.

The decision to split comes on the heels of Djokovic's disappointing start to the 2024 season, marked by losses in the Australian Open semifinals and the third-round loss at the Indian Wells Masters.

Djokovic took to his Instagram account on March 27 to announce the separation from Ivanisevic.

"Goran and I [Novak Djokovic] decided to stop working together a few days ago. Our on court chemistry had its ups and downs, but our friendship was always rock solid.......Sefinjo, thanks for everything my friend. Love you," Djokovic wrote.

Post the announcement, tennis analyst Craig Shapiro reported on X (formerly Twitter) that a "big argument" about Djokovic’s practice efforts at Indian Wells led to the split.

"Been told that everything officially fell apart after a big argument over Novak’s [Djokovic] effort in practice in Indian Wells," Shapiro wrote.

Andy Roddick disapproves of fan returning caught ball at Jannik Sinner's Miami Open 4R match

Andy Roddick voiced his dissatisfaction when a fan was asked to return a tennis ball they caught during the fourth-round match between Jannik Sinner and Christopher O’Connell at the Miami Open.

Roddick criticized the decision as "foolish" on Tennis Channel, saying he would have argued against it if he had been on the court.

"No, I think we should totally make this guy feel badly about grabbing a ball out of a sporting event... This is dumb. I’ve argued with Fergus [Murphy] about everything under the sun for my entire career, and I would have argued this. If a ball goes into the stands, why would we not elevate the fan experience and let them keep it?” Roddick said (0:15).

Roddick found it "heartbreaking" to see the fan’s disappointment after returning the ball, calling the incident "short-sighted."

“Like the thing that's heartbreaking, he [the fan] catches it; he's pumped. Look at his face. Someone tells him to give it back, and he had this moment of embarrassment or the fact that he did something wrong, and it breaks my heart. It’s dumb; it’s shortsighted. Let’s take the wins in tennis and make everyone happy if they catch a ball. This is dumb,” he added.

Hubert Hurkacz throws racket in anger over net touch call during Miami 4R clash against Grigor Dimitrov

In the intense tiebreak decider of Grigor Dimitrov and Hubert Hurkacz's fourth-round match at the 2024 Miami Open, controversy arose when the latter's left foot made contact with the net while chasing down a drop shot from Dimitrov.

The chair umpire promptly called a net violation against Hurkacz, who seemed shocked by the decision and vented his frustration by slamming his racket onto the court.

Watch the video below:

Hurkacz went on to lose the match 6-3, 3-6, 6-7(3).


Miami Open director James Blake disapproves of Casper Ruud's complaints over poor tournament conditions

Miami Open tournament director James Blake expressed disappointment with Casper Ruud's rant during his second-round match against Luca Van Assche at the ongoing tournament.

Ruud voiced his dissatisfaction with the alleged "cheap" tournament conditions to the chair umpire.

"There's been no towels, no cold water, and just a plastic chair to change. This is a joke. And you know why it is, because the tournament is too cheap to put up something good for the players," he said.

Blake has since commented on the controversy, suggesting that the towels in the temporary changing room, a trailer, may not have been restocked due to the heavy rain the day before, as reported by the Miami Herald.

"We’ve all had a bad day out on the court and said some things, I’m definitely an example of that. I would get upset at an umpire and say something that really had nothing to do with the match," he told Miami Herald.

The former World No. 4 expressed that Ruud’s outburst was a result of his on-court struggles, and he was not in favor of the accusations made by the Norwegian.

"He had just gotten broken and that’s frustrating time. So, I get it and no hard feelings. I wish it had been handled in a different way. The best way is to talk to me, don’t go on the court and rant and rave about it," he said."But I totally understand, being a competitor, he was in the heat of the battle."

Blake also suggested that these types of incidents tend to be exaggerated on social media.

"I think this is one instance where it definitely helps that I was a player because I recognize when something is said in the heat of battle and said to an umpire, and we live in a social media era where things get picked up and take on a life of their own," he said.

Ruud's Miami Open campaign ended following a 7-6(3), 6-3 loss to 22nd seed Nicolas Jarry in the Round of 16.

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