10 unforgettable Novak Djokovic controversies after BNP Paribas Open visa row causes withdrawal

Novak Djokovic isn't currently featuring at this week's BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells despite preparing for the tournament.

The world number one pulled out of the tournament amidst a visa row in the United States.

The star's visa application to enter the country had been unsuccessful in what is becoming a regular series of events.

Djokovic is unvaccinated against Covid-19 and had said he hoped to receive special permission to play in US tournaments, where internationals must be vaccinated to enter the country.

It's the latest headline-making moment in a career shrouded with recent controversy. NationalWorld looks at 10 other times the Serbian tennis star came under the cosh for his actions.

Adria Tour

Novak Djokoic's Adria Tour was billed as a charity tennis tournament but ended in a lot of bad press for the star.

The event was organised in Serbia in the summer of 2020 and featured tennis players including Aleksander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, Grigor Dimitrov and Marin Cilic.

This was of course at the height of the pandemic and ended with numerous players testing positive for Covid-18. Images of the stars hugging and a general lack of social distancing didn't do Djokovic's reputation any favours.

US Open disqualification

During the US Open in 2020, Novak Djokovic took out his frustration at trailing Pablo Carreño Busta in the first set of his last-16 match by hitting a ball to the back of the court at the end of a game.

Had the ball in question just hit the wall, the action might never have been talked about, but instead it landed right in the neck of a line judge who crumpled to the ground in pain.

The line judge was unable to continue and Djokovic was immediately booted out of the competition.

He said: "The rules are clear. I accepted it and had to move on. That's what I did.

"I cannot promise or cannot guarantee that I will never ever do anything similar to that in my life. I'm going to try my best, obviously, but anything is possible in life."

Australian Open 'personal chef'

Last year when flying out to Australia to defend his Australian Open title, Djokovic's visa was rejected by border control.

The star was detained in a quarantined hotel known for housing detained refugees and that did not sit well with the Serb.

According to reports, he demanded a personal chef to keep with his gluten-free diet and a private tennis court to train on. Those requests were ignored by authorities.

Australian deportation

Ultimately, Djokovic didn't need to practice to defend his Australian Open title for too long as he was soon booted out of the country.

The government cancelled the star's visa on "health and good order" grounds and left the player "extremely disappointed" as he was put on a plane to Dubai.

The decision came because Djokovic was unvaccinated and did not meet the country's entry requirements. It was feared that letting him stay would risk fanning anti-vaccine sentiment.

Not wearing a face mask

It all seems to happen in Australia for Novak Djokovic.

When the star took to the court for the 2021 final against Daniil Medvedev he opted not to wear a face mask despite other players, including his opponent, opting to do so.

It wasn't compulsory for Djokovic to wear the mask, but his decision led to an echo of boos from the crowd.

Drinking polluted water

Novak Djokovic seemed to suggest that people could purify water through the power of their mind in one strange interview.

The tennis player spoke with wellness guru Chervin Jafarieh and said: "I've seen people and I know some people that through energetical transformation, through the power of prayer, through the power of gratitude, they manage to turn the most toxic food or the most polluted water, into the most healing water."

Djokovic came under heavy criticism for the comment with many sharing worries that some may turn to trying the trick and falling ill.

Wimbledon crowd hate

It's fair to say that Djokovic doesn't enjoy the universal love afforded to rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on the big stage.

In the 2019 Wimbledon final the London crowd was overwhelmingly pro-Federer and against Djokovic - although the Serb went on to triumph that year.

Afterwards, he enjoyed a cheeky swipe at the Wimbledon crowd and said: "It's hard to not be aware of the crowd. At times you just try to ignore it, which is quite hard. I like to transmutate it in a way: When the crowd is chanting 'Roger' I hear 'Novak'. It sounds silly, but it is like that. I try to convince myself that it's like that. It's similar 'Roger' and 'Novak!'.”

Olympic tantrum

When playing in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Novak Djokovic lost the bronze medal match to Pablo Carreno Busta - yes, the same opponent as the US Open incident.

During the match, Djokovic slammed his racket into the net pole in a childish moment of frustration.

The incident drew criticism from Rafa Nadal who said: "It's strange that someone who has had so much success should react that way from time to time but at the end of the day he's very competitive and reacts like that. It's not the best image.”

Monte Carlo tantrum

A similar performance came in 2019 at the Monte Carlo Masters.

Djokovic beat Philipp Kohlschreiber to reach the third set but lost his cool during the second set.

The star smashed his racket into the ground and inadvertently sent it flying into the crowd at another point. Should it have made contact with a fan or official, the player may have risked disqualification.

Umpire arguments

Djokovic is known not to shy away from confrontation when he feels things aren't going his way.

At Wimbledon in 2018 he came up against Brit Kyle Edmund in a feisty four-set meeting.

Both players lost their heads at points during the game, but a frustrated Djokovic took to arguing with the umpire about officiating in the favour of the Brit to a chorus of Centre Court boos.