Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Novak Djokovic Lectures Olympians Dealing With Pressure—Then Throws Epic Tantrum After Losing

Novak Djokovic Lectures Olympians Dealing With Pressure—Then Throws Epic Tantrum After Losing
Clive Brunskill/Getty Images; Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

It's been nearly a week since Olympic gymnast Simone Biles decided to withdraw from events at the Tokyo games for mental health reasons, but the indignation over her decision—almost entirely from White men—shows no signs of abating any time soon.

And top-ranked tennis champion Novak Djokovic has, even if inadvertently, thrown this drama into even starker relief.


After just days ago giving a speech to the press about dealing with pressure in elite sports, Djokovich had an on-court meltdown, seen below, and withdrew from further competition after losing an all-important tennis match in Tokyo over the weekend. And the wildly different responses to the two athletes has the internet crying foul.

youtu.be

To be sure, Djokovic was under enormous pressure this weekend. The Serbian champion was on the precipice of being the first tennis player in history to finally land the so-called Golden Slam: winning Wimbledon, the Australian, French and U.S. Opens, and an Olympic gold medal all in the same year.

Earlier last week, Djokovic seemed ready for the competition, talking to the press about the "privilege" of pressure in elite sports.

"Without pressure, there is no professional sport..."
"If you are aiming to be at the top of the game, you better start learning how to deal with pressure. And how to cope with those moments on the court but also off the court, all the expectations."

Djokovic went on to pointedly claim that the pressure doesn't even get to him anymore.

"All that buzz and all that noise is something that I can't say I don't see it or I don't hear it. Of course, it's there, but I've learned, I've developed the mechanism how to deal with it in such a way that it will not distract me and will not wear me down."

Though Djokovic never mentioned any athlete other than himself, many felt the subtext was clear and interpreted his comments to be subtle swipes at Biles, who ignited a firestorm after withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympics just days before Djokovic's comments. Biles has been the subject of a sustained wave of online criticism and outright bullying, almost exclusively from White men, ever since.

Whether his comments were directed at Biles or not, Djokovic's "mechanism" for dealing with pressure was nowhere to be found on Saturday during his all-important match against Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta.

As the score of the match continued slipping away from him, Djokovic hurled his racket into the stands and smashed another against the net. He then dropped out of the mixed doubles competition citing an injury, leaving his partner Nina Stojanovic high and dry.

It was a stark contrast to Biles, who gracefully navigated her difficult decision and has ever since been a fixture in the stands during her teammates' competitions, cheering them on from the sidelines.

And on Twitter, people wasted no time pointing out the unavoidable difference between the two champions.











Djokovic has such a long history of racket-smashing outbursts on the tennis court that there are entire video compilations of him doing so on YouTube. He might want to heed his own advice.

More from Trending

Jasmine Crockett Calls Out Trump's Hypocrisy By Pointing Out How Melania Got Her Visa
Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for SiriusXM; Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Jasmine Crockett Calls Out Trump's Hypocrisy By Pointing Out How Melania Got Her Visa

Texas Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett pointed out President Donald Trump's hypocrisy on immigration considering how First Lady Melania Trump's pathway to citizenship was possible because she received an "Einstein visa," which is usually reserved for an individual with "some sort of significant achievement."

Speaking during a House Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Restoring Integrity and Security to the Visa Process,” Crockett noted that “the idea that Trump and my Republican colleagues want to restore integrity and security in the visa process is actually a joke," and harshly criticized the Trump administration's immigration crackdown and visa restrictions.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Jennifer Griffin and Pete Hegseth
The Hill

Fox Host Comes To Reporter's Defense After Pete Hegseth Berates Her At Pentagon Briefing

Fox News' chief political analyst Brit Hume came to the defense of Fox national security reporter Jennifer Griffin after their former colleague, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, criticized Griffin as the reporter "who misrepresents the most intentionally what the president says” in a Pentagon news conference.

Hegseth, a former Fox News anchor, had criticized media outlets—including his former network—for what he described as unpatriotic reporting. Hegseth took particular aim at early intelligence assessments suggesting that President Donald Trump's bombing of Iran may not have significantly crippled Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Keep ReadingShow less

Teachers Share The Questions Students Asked In Class That Broke Their Hearts

Being a teacher is a calling.

It is not for the meek or weak of heart.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Emily Compagno
Fox News

Fox Host Slams Dem For Dropping An F-Bomb After Praising Trump For The Same Thing Just Minutes Earlier

Fox News host Emily Compagno was criticized after she praised Donald Trump's use of the "f-bomb" earlier this week before condemning Texas Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett's use of the same word—on the same episode of her show, no less.

Trump made headlines this week after admonishing Israel and Iran for violating a ceasefire agreement he'd announced on Truth Social. Although he claimed the ceasefire had been "agreed upon," Iran fired at least six missile barrages at Israel after it was supposed to take effect.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ken Jennings; Emily Croke
@Jeopardy/Instagram

Champ's Wild Final Jeopardy Connection

In a dramatic conclusion on last Monday’s Jeopardy!, a contestant revealed a surprising relationship to the final clue's answer. Hailing from Denver, Emily Croke made it to the final write-in portion of the game show with $12,200 in earnings.

In the category of “Collections,” host Ken Jennings read the clue:

Keep ReadingShow less