Novak Djokovic plays by his own rules. This was on full display recently when he asked an official if he could go to the toilet, and dashed off before getting their proper blessing.
Novak Djokovic is not big on being told what to do. This is well established. That said, it was pretty funny watching him revert to looking like a primary school child asking his teacher to go to the toilet after 5 games of tennis (while up 3-2 on the serve).
Unlike most people, however, Djokovic didn’t really wait for an answer, immediately running off to the bathroom after telling the official he needed to go, with the official yelling after him “Novak!”
WATCH: Novak Djokovic allegedly ‘pulls rank’ over Australian Open umpire
A video of this encounter, which happened during his first-round match against Roberto Carballes Baena on Tuesday night, is now waltzing around TikTok. On Wide World Of Sport’s footage of the incident, for instance, viewers are finding Djokovic pulling rank against officials funny.
Others are finding the situation simply ridiculous, writing: “Jesus let him go to the bathroom. What’s wrong with these people.”
Another wrote: “Don’t understand players are human if they need to go they need to go.”
Others questioned what would have happened if it had been another player, with TikTok user Matt Albert-Wihone writing: “Kyrgios would’ve been fined, and torn apart in the media.”
“Imagine saying no you can’t go to the bathroom what in the power trip is going on there.”
Another wrote: “AO has become so authoritarian.”
Djokovic may not actually be as naughty as he seems, however, and the umpire may not be as ‘authoritarian’ as many conspiratorial TikTok users claim, with one TikTok user pointing out that if you turn up your volume you will hear the umpire say: “You need to be quick then.”
A TikTok user Jesse mused: “When you gotta go you gotta go.”
Commentators on the match said: “Well I think he’s actually just pulled rank there as well… I think the official was trying to pull him back.”
The umpire radioed a steward to ask what the s*** (not in those words) was happening.
“I will call time in 15 seconds,” she said.
“I am calling time, he has 30 seconds to be back in play.”
Djokovic came back about 10 seconds later, took a drink, and arrived at the baseline with some 10 seconds to spare.
Djokovic will take on Enzo Couacaud at 7pm tonight in his second round match up.