Tennis fans feel criticism would have been much worse if Serena Williams had done what Djokovic did

The double standard in the way tennis treats Novak Djokovic in comparison to Naomi Osaka or Serena Williams has been laid bare, some fans have claimed.

Scottish filmmaker Francis Maxwell said that if Naomi Osaka or Serena Williams acted how Djokovic has acted in the last few weeks, “the tennis association would be sharpening their knives”.

Francis Maxwell wrote: “Let me say this, if Naomi Osaka, or Serena Williams acted in the way Novak Djokovic has acted in the past couple weeks- the tennis association would be sharpening their knives.

“They hung Osaka out to dry because she missed a couple pressers, meanwhile on Djokovic...(crickets).”

Earlier this year Osaka withdrew from the French Open after she was fined for not participating in press conferences due to her mental health.

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Ironically at the time Djokovic reportedly commented, saying that although he understands that press conferences can be “unpleasant” and it’s not always an enjoyable experience, “it is part of our sport, it is part of what we do”.

Also at the French Open, Serena Williams caused controversy for wearing a black catsuit in 2018, but it had an important function.

Williams wore the compression garment to help with blood clots. After giving birth to her daughter following her win at the 2017 Australian Open, she suffered blood clots in her lungs and almost died.

But French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli told Tennis Magazine: “I think we sometimes went too far. The combination of Serena this year, for example, it will no longer be accepted. You have to respect the game and the place.”

Lots of people on Twitter have said they feel the Djokovic situation would have been dealt with differently if it were Williams or Osaka:

The social media comments follow Serbian tennis star Djokovic having his Australian visa cancelled for a second time. He is due to be deported just three days before the Australian Open begins.

Although he travelled to Australia to compete in the tennis tournament, Djokovic has been in the headlines due to a visa debacle and questions over his vaccine exemption.

Earlier this week he admitted to meeting a journalist after testing positive and said despite initial claims that he didn’t travel for 14 days before entering Australia, he was reportedly spotted at a training camp in Spain.