The past comes back to haunt as Novak Djokovic‘s infamous default from the 2020 US Open resurfaces, igniting fresh debates. But it’s not the Serbian star in the spotlight this time. Rather, the focus has shifted to rising American prodigy Alex Michelsen’s contentious actions during the 2024 Winston-Salem Open championship. Despite committing a similar act that led to Djokovic’s disqualification, Michelsen avoided a default, prompting tennis legend Andy Roddick to criticize the apparent double standards at play.

Lorenzo Sonego and Alex Michelsen reportedly squared off in the ATP 250 event final, with Michelsen losing the first set 4-0. Angry, Michelsen threw a ball into the throng and struck an onlooker. Following that, the game resumed after an apology and an injury check, with Sonego winning 6-0, 6-4.

Echoing a sentiment, Andy Roddick that Alex Michelsen’s response should have ended up in a default, therefore he should have been dealt the same punishment as Novak Djokovic. On the other hand, he also talked about the 24-time Grand Slam champion being “way more unlucky,” for carrying penalties and consequences regarding a similar act.

He wrote, “I kinda agree. If you fire one hard and hit a fan, kinda the same to me as an umpire. Action the same.  One just way more unlucky.  Michelsen reacted like he thought he was toast.” Subsequently, it was not only just the American legend, but even a lot of Social media users agreed that Alex Michelsen should have been defaulted, much like Novak Djokovic was in 2020.

Similar to Novak Djokovic’s historic default at the 2020 US Open, where he unintentionally hit a lineswoman in the throat with a misplaced shot, the incident occurred. Despite their parallels, Djokovic’s instant disqualification from the event contrasted sharply with Alex Michelsen’s, underscoring the significant disparity in the handling of the two scenarios.

However, this year was not the first time that Djokovic’s 2020 incident has resurfaced because of controversies on the court. Just a few weeks ago, Djokovic’s default was also referenced by Paul McNamee in the context of another controversy.

Paul McNamee sheds light on Novak Djokovic’s default 

Paul McNamee brought up the recent ball-pounce dispute at the Cincinnati Open involving Felix Auger-Aliassime and Jack Draper, referencing Novak Djokovic’s 2020 US Open default. Video replays, according to McNamee, would have readily corroborated Auger-Aliassime’s assertion that Draper’s ball touched the ground before it crossed the net.

He stated, “Given the Draper-FAA shocker, why not allow replays in match-defining points? Another example was the default of Djokovic at the US Open…if the supervisor had watched a replay he would have seen it was not egregious or in malice… it was not an automatic default as many believe.” 

Additionally, he said that Djokovic’s incident may have been avoided if officials had been able to determine that his shot was not made with “malice,” which would have prevented his disqualification from the competition.

As Alex Michelsen’s conduct at the 2024 Winston-Salem Open draws comparisons to Djokovic’s 2020 US Open default, the issue of consistency in tennis rulings has reignited debate within the sport. What is your outlook on the situation? Do let us know in the comment section below.