Novak Djokovic scolded a French Open cameraman for coming too close to him and asked to be given more “space” during his third-round match against Joao Fonseca.
Djokovic had just taken a two-set lead against his Brazilian opponent and was searching through his bag by the side of the court when the camera operator approached him during the changeover.
“Can you come any more in my face?” said a frustrated Djokovic, with the cameraman standing just a couple of feet away. “For God’s sake, make some space.” The cameraman retreated, before Djokovic left the court.
Djokovic, 39, has a golden opportunity to win a 25th grand slam title in Paris following the shock exit of tournament favourite Jannik Sinner and the absence of defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. He is the only remaining grand slam champion in the men’s draw.
Djokovic spoke about the importance of “space” during this season’s Australian Open, when footage of Coco Gauff smashing her racket in a backstage area was broadcast by behind-the-scenes cameras. It led to Iga Swiatek wondering whether the players were “animals in a zoo”.
Djokovic said he agreed and said: “It’s really sad that you can’t basically move away anywhere and hide and fume out your frustration, your anger in a way that won’t be captured by a camera. But we live in a society and in times where content is everything, so it’s a deeper discussion.
“I guess it’s really hard for me to see the trend changing in the opposite direction, meaning we take out cameras. If you see, it’s only going to be as it is or even more cameras.
“I mean, I’m surprised that we have no cameras while we are taking a shower – that’s probably the next step. I’m against it. I think there should be … a limit and kind of a borderline where, OK, this is our space.”
The incident had some similarities to American player Danielle Collins asking a cameraman for more space during a changeover at a tournament in Strasbourg last season. “I don’t know why that is even a topic of discussion,” she said. “I was asking for personal space at my work place. It should be something that we can get to have during our work.”
