‘Are you acting?’: Novak Djokovic blasts umpire’s ‘showmanship’ in fiery exchange

Novak Djokovic has been praised for calling out a leading umpire’s over the top “showmanship” in a heated exchange.

It got seriously heated between Djokovic and the umpire. Photos: Getty.

World No. 7 Holger Rune beat a frustrated Novak Djokovic 6-2 4-6 6-2 in a rain-interrupted quarter-final at the Italian Open.

Djokovic, who will drop to No. 2 on the ATP rankings behind Carlos Alcaraz next week, admitted that he was outplayed in heavy, wet conditions after a week of rain in normally sunny Rome.

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“This is probably the coldest, wettest tournament I’ve ever played here in Rome,” the 22-time Grand Slam winner said.

“I don’t recall so many days in a row (of) raining. In these conditions, it’s very difficult to get the ball past him.

“He’s a very talented, dynamic player - he was too good for me for most of the match,” Djokovic added of Rune.

The latest contest between the pair was marred by spats with the chair umpire by both players — Djokovic on a time warning and Rune over a second-set line call.

Holger Rune was too good for the Djoker. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Djokovic isn’t in great form. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Play was halted for just over an hour by rain. Shortly after the match began, Djokovic requested extra towels to pad his lower back on the bench during most changeovers.

He has also suffered with a right elbow problem in recent weeks which caused him to miss the Madrid event and put his pre-Roland Garros preparation behind schedule.

He was treated by the trainer and tournament doctor after the third game of the second set and given a painkiller before playing on.

There was a tense moment early in the third set when Djokovic, down a break of serve, blew up at chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani for the way he was calling out the score.

Djokovic took issue with the lengthy delay between Lahyani’s calling of the score in English and then Italian.

The Serbian fumed: “What’s the drama of waiting between English & Italian to call the score? Are you acting here or what?”

It got seriously heated between Djokovic and the umpire. Photos: Getty.

Tennis reporter Ben Rothenberg pointed out Lahyani is one of the more theatrical tennis umpires on tour and suspected he had been recruited to feature in the next season of Netflix’s documentary series Break Point.

Never seen a player directly call out Mo Lahyani’s showmanship, but this is overdue. Good on Novak.

I have a suspicion Lahyani might even be a Netflix subject this cycle (he’s been mic’d up often)…seems to be acting especially over the top, even for him. pic.twitter.com/j7CGbZoRHe

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) May 17, 2023

Rothenberg said he had noticed “Lahyani wearing a lapel mic back at Indian Wells”.

“I know a lot of fans enjoy him, but to me it is absolutely not the job of a tennis umpire to entertain or put on a show,” he said.

“If his focus has shifted more that way because of cameras, no bueno.”

Novak Djokovic to umpire in Holger match:

“What’s the drama of waiting between English & Italian to call the score? Are you acting here or what?”

This is comedy at its finest 😂

pic.twitter.com/i7txXsAqdk

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 17, 2023

The drama didn’t end there. Rune later called Lahyani an “absolute joke” after he disagreed with a crucial line call.

Well. The aggro has arrived.

Rune has lost his head after a line call.
He’s just called Lahyani “an absolute joke” and he wants to know if Lahyani gets punished for his mistakes.

Djokovic, meanwhile, has come to life and is hitting more freely.

— The Tennis Podcast (@TennisPodcast) May 17, 2023

Rune held on to claim victory and will next face Casper Ruud in the semi-finals.

Six-time champion Djokovic was carrying an unspecified injury into the match as he lost for a second time to the rising 20-year-old Dane, who bested him to win the Masters 1000 at Paris Bercy last November.

The exit of Djokovic — combined with that of Alcaraz this week - left the men’s field wide open at the Foro Italico.

Between them, Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have won 16 of the last 18 editions here; the last time one of the pair did not figure in a Rome final was 2004.

Rune is only the sixth player to defeat Djokovic in Rome.

“This is really a big win for me,” Rune said.

“Every match against Novak is a huge challenge. He’s one of the greatest to ever play the game.

“I was proud of myself and enjoyed every minute out there.

“I have to stay humble, I still have a lot to achieve. I’m a huge fighter on court, I leave everything out there. I had to fight hard and play my best tennis,” he added.

“I’m a big fan of Novak; he’s a huge inspiration. He puts huge pressure on you — I had to stay brave.”

Originally published as ‘Are you acting?’: Novak Djokovic blasts umpire’s ‘showmanship’ in fiery exchange