“Protect Your Rights!”: Analyst Hits Back at French Open as They Take Down Novak Djokovic’s Kind Gesture Clipping

Serbian World No. 1 Novak Djokovic won his 19th Grand Slam title at the French Open 2021. However, what made the day more memorable was him giving his tennis racquet to a young fan.

In the post-match press conference, Djokovic stated that the kid had supported him throughout the match, and he was even coaching and encouraging the Serb even after a two-set-to-love score.

Now, Darren Rovell, a sports business analyst, shared the awe-inspiring video on his Twitter account. Immediately, it blew up on social media and garnered 5.5 million views.

Surprisingly, this somehow backfired on the French Tennis Federation (FFT). Strict about their content, the governing body asked Rovell to delete the video and caused a stir in the tennis community.

Read More: “Think We Did Very, Very Well”: President FFT Defends Handling of Naomi Osaka Row at French Open 2021

FFT receives heat after asking analyst to delete a kid’s fan moment with Novak Djokovic

After deleting the video, Rovell hit back on Twitter at the responsible party, which was either FFT or NBC. It wasn’t the only time such a thing has happened at the Roland-Garros.

“Congratulations to the French Tennis Federation and/or NBC, who requested that my video of the boy getting Djokovic’s racket be taken down. The video got 5.5 million views, more than any highlight from any match. Great for a struggling sport. But you guys protect your rights!” Rovell wrote on Twitter. 

Naturally, this got a lot of support from the tennis sports analyst and journalism community. Matthew Willis, a sports analyst, wrote, “Tennis goes viral & of course the original content gets DMCA’d (& kills reach of the tweet). These are accredited sports journalists/media trying to share an interesting thing that happened. How in the absolute f*ck is this good for the sport or harmful for the copyright holder.”

On the same, Jose Morgado, a tennis journalist, added, “FFT is quite disgraceful on that department. But it’s a lost war.” Furthermore, he shared another piece where a Roland-Garros content got blocked, calling it “unreal stuff.” It involved the American football defensive end J. J. Watt, who shared content with his 5.6 million followers.

Read More: “He Was in My Ear the Whole Time”: Novak Djokovic Reveals Why He Gave His Racquet to the Little Boy at French Open 2021 Finals

Without a doubt, this situation is not in favor of the great sport. Hopefully, a middle way to treat this situation will arise soon. What are your thoughts on this matter?

Watch this story: Champions!: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, And Others’ Trophy Lift at French Open