Bizarre Scenes Unfold at Banja Luka As Play Gets Halted Owing to an Excited Novak Djokovic Fan’s Enthusiasm

The Serbian tennis star, Novak Djokovic, had a promising start this year. With his impeccable form on the hard courts of Australia, he equaled the record of his rival Rafael Nadal by winning his 22nd Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. However, after missing the Sunshine Double, Djokovic made his way to the Monte Carlo Masters to kick-start his clay-court season.

So far, it has been a struggle for the Serbian legend. After losing to Lorenzo Musetti in Monte Carlo, there was further disappointment awaiting Djokovic on his next outing at Banja Luka. There his countryman Dusan Lajovic, who is currently ranked 70th, secured an unfancied victory. However, in between the match, a bizarre incident took place and fans showed their funny side to steal the attention.

Novak Djokovic’s racquet accidentally flew into the hands of a spectator

In the Banja Luka tournament, the Serbian Novak Djokovic was defeated by the 32-year-old Lajovic. In the two hours and 29 minutes duration, Dusan Lajovic confirmed his place in the semis with a 6-4, 7-6 (6) victory. However, Lajovic, who won only four games in four sets against his compatriot in the previous two matches, finally registered a positive result in his account against the World No. 1. Apart from witnessing Djokovic suffering a loss for the first time in 11 years against Lajovic, the clay court in Banja Luka had some intriguing moments that fans couldn’t get enough of.

In between the set, a bizarre incident took place when Lajovic hit a stroke to the forehand of Djokovic. The legendary tennis player attempted a return, but his racquet accidentally slipped and flew directly into the stand. The lucky fan who got to hold the racquet took a moment to return it to the 22-time Grand Slam champion.

Obviously, the fans found themselves lucky holding the racquet of the legendary tennis player. It wasn’t just the fans who felt lucky after the match, as Lajovic also opened up about his epic victory against his compatriot.

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Lajovic counts himself lucky to have won against the ‘Djoker’

The Serbs had a tough game in the quarterfinals. However, Djokovic broke in the eighth game before losing serve for the second time. During the tie-break, Lajovic was composed and unnerved his opponent with five straight points to stamp the win under his name.

During the post-match press conference he said, “I’m overwhelmed, it is the biggest win of my career. The emotions are very mixed because I’m playing here in front of the home town and I’m also playing against Nole who is a good friend and he’s a hero of our country. Beating him, it’s something that I didn’t even think is going to be possible, but it happened.”

Djokovic is currently far from his best form. After his loss in the Monte Carlo Masters against Lorenzo Musetti in the third round, he refused to talk about his arm injury to the media.

Can the legendary Serb overcome his struggles on clay and vie for the title at Roland Garros?

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