Watched by Mourinho, angry Djokovic slams ball and then media at ATP World Tour Finals opener

Deposed world No 1 suffers early scare against Austrian debutant Dominic Thiem before launching his bid for a fifth successive title with 6-7, 6-0, 6-2 victory.

Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning his match against Dominic Thiem during their round robin stage men's singles match at the ATP World Tour Finals in London. Tim Ireland / AP Photo

LONDON // Novak Djokovic reacted furiously after being grilled about a potentially dangerous incident when he slammed a ball into the stands during his ATP Tour Finals win over Dominic Thiem on Sunday.

Djokovic responded to losing the first set against Thiem by angrily hitting a ball into the court and it bounced towards spectators before disappearing into a staircase.

The world No 2 was given a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct and, although he battled to back to defeat Thiem, he was still in a tetchy mood when he faced the media shortly after the match.

Asked if he was concerned that he would eventually get in trouble for his behaviour, defending champion Djokovic immediately took offence.

“You guys are unbelievable. You’re always picking these kind of things,” Djokovic fumed. “I’m the only player that shows his frustration on the court? That’s what you are saying?”

It is not the first time that Djokovic, who has been in poor form for several months and recently lost the world No 1 ranking, has found himself in hot water for his frustrated on-court reactions.

At this year’s French Open, he narrowly avoided disqualification when his racquet slipped and almost hit a line judge during his quarter-final win over Tomas Berdych.

He also received a code violation in Rome in May when he threw his racquet and it almost bounced into the crowd during a final defeat against Andy Murray.

Djokovic has been more than a little thin-skinned in his interactions with the media of late after revelations that he has been working with a ‘spiritual guru’ in recent months.

And pressed on why he was becoming a repeat offender with equipment abuse, Djokovic refused to be apologetic.

“I keep doing these things? I’m close [to being suspended]? I’m still not suspended, so if I’m not close, I’m not close,” he said.

“It could have been [serious], yes. It could have snowed in O2 Arena as well, but it didn’t. It is not an issue for me. It’s not the first time I did it.”

Djokovic survived a scare in the tournament opener as the Serb battled back for a 6-7, 6-0, 6-2 victory over Thiem.

And amid all the questions about his decline, Djokovic can still clinch the season-ending No 1 spot for a third consecutive year and equal Roger Federer’s record of six Tour Finals titles by the end of next week.

“Dominic started very well and we played on a very high level from the first point,” Djokovic said. “He had a very high serve percentage and was the tougher player in the key moments of the tiebreak.

“I definitely did not want to let him get off to a good start in the second set.”

Djokovic established himself in the pantheon of all-time greats in June when his French Open triumph made him only the fifth man in the Open era to complete a clean sweep of the four grand slam tournaments.

But since that historic triumph the Serb had been stuck in a puzzling slump that has seen him suffer embarrassingly early exits from Wimbledon and the Rio Olympics.

Having shaken off his early lethargy, Djokovic eventually blew Thiem away in emphatic fashion and is now 19-1 in his last 20 matches at the Tour Finals.

The world No 2 was in the wars early on when he needed a bandage on the thumb on his right hand after his racquet jammed into the court.

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Another high-profile figure who has lost his magic touch of late, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, was watching from courtside and must have sympathised.

Thiem had qualified for the Tour Finals for the first time after winning four titles in his breakthrough year, and his aggressive approach was giving Djokovic a hard time.

The 12-time grand slam winner staved off a break point at 5-5, but he remained an unsettled figure, grumbling to a linejudge. “Was it in or out? Or do you just not know?”.

Djokovic’s gloomy mood was hardly improved when Thiem took the first set in a dramatic tiebreak after the Serb had saved six set points and squandered one of his own.

In danger of another frustrating loss, Djokovic was finally able to turn his anger into a positive at the start of the second set as unloaded a series of powerful winners.

Two breaks in the first three games gave him a lifeline and he took the set without dropping a single game.

Thiem had won 21 out of his 23 matches that required a final set this year, but none of those came against Djokovic and the Serb kept his foot on the gas to break in the third game of the decider.

Djokovic’s spluttering start seemed a world away now and he let out a defiant roar as he swept to the finish line with another break.

Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic faces flamboyant Frenchman Gael Monfils in the other match in Djokovic’s group later on Sunday.

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