Novak Djokovic’s wife Jelena sees nothing “dodgy” about a viral video of Djokovic’s physio, Ulises Baido, and his support team preparing a drink for him during the Paris Masters last week.
The video, published after Djokovic’s tight three-set win over Stefanos Tsitsipas in Paris, was shared on Twitter by Damian Reilly, a writer, and it has now received more than 15 million views.
It is not an uncommon sight for the team members to mix their drinks with fast-acting supplements during a match and pass them on to the court. However, the behaviour of Djokovic’s team led to further attention. On catching sight of the spectator filming them, a member of Djokovic’s staff moved to physically shield Baido from the camera.
On Tuesday, Jelena Djokovic responded directly to the video on Twitter.
“I don’t see anything dodgy,” she wrote.
“In fact, I see people trying to be private about their business in a world where everyone feels like they have every right to point a camera at you whenever they want. Apparently, wanting/trying to be private makes you dodgy nowadays.”
After a fan urged Djokovic’s team to provide a swift response, Jelena Djokovic said he would respond in his own time: “He will talk when he is ready to talk. This whole nonsense about making people speak about something they are not ready because OTHERS are unpatient is absurd. Sit a bit in silence. Mind yourself more. Not everything you see is controversial. It could be private. Is that allowed?”
Earlier this year, Djokovic responded to similar questions about his supplements at Wimbledon, with his apparent inhalation of a supplement inside a water bottle drawing scrutiny. Djokovic said it was a “magic potion,” laughing, before stating that he would be releasing his own line of supplements.
After edging past Tsitsipas 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(4) to reach the final in Paris, Djokovic was defeated in three sets by 19-year-old Holger Rune of Denmark.
Djokovic will next compete in the ATP Finals, the season-ending tournament, but after a turbulent year due to his unvaccinated status, he still awaits news on whether he will be able to enter Australia in order to compete in the Australian Open next year. – Guardian
