Novak Djokovic ‘anger’ comment made by Andy Roddick after tearing into Norrie

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Former world No 1 Andy Roddick has jumped to the defence of Cameron Norrie after his ‘unsportsmanlike’ display against Novak Djokovic in the Italian Open. The latter came out on top and booked his place in the quarter-finals in Rome, though it was far from smooth sailing for the Serb.

Djokovic prevailed in an incredibly heated contest with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Norrie, though the tense nature of the match has been the main talking point since. The world No 1 was unhappy with his opponent’s behaviour despite being friends off of the court, taking issue with the Brit after he was hit in the leg by a winning smash.

Norrie also took a late medical timeout and frequently shouted ‘come on’ at Djokovic, which fuelled the fire. Speaking after the match, the victor said: “Those are the things that we players know in the locker room it’s not fair play, it’s not how we treat each other.

‘’I get along with Cameron really well all these years that he’s been on the tour. He’s a very nice guy off the court, so I don’t understand this kind of attitude on the court, to be honest. But it is what it is. He brought the fire, and I responded to that. I’m not going to allow someone behaving like this just bending my head. I’m going to respond to that. That’s all it is.”

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Despite being targeted for his conduct, Roddick has told Tennis Channel that Norrie did not do anything wrong in Rome and defended his attempt to disrupt Djokovic’s play. He explained: “It’s fair play. Norrie has every right to do what he wants and Novak has every right to not like it.

“He wasn’t breaking any rules. I’ve gotten in trouble for criticising people for taking medical timeouts a little too often. Novak said that he looked at the replay and said that maybe Norrie didn’t see him with his back turned. So Novak understands hitting a ball where you’re not supposed to, sometimes.

“Listen, it doesn’t matter. Norrie can do what he wants, Novak cannot like it, we wash our hands, and we move on. Novak got the win and it’s over. Or we stay mad about it, which makes no sense at all. He didn’t break any rules, he was obviously trying to do something because he was not winning with the patterns that were being played on the court. So he tried to change the dynamic of the match.

“Novak is just way too experienced, he has seen it too many times. You’re going to blame a guy for trying? You don’t have to like it but he was trying something.” Djokovic will now face Holger Rune in the quarter-finals on Wednesday, with the top seed hoping to continue his electrifying form before heading to the French Open.

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