The 2018 US Open final goes down as one of the biggest moments in women’s tennis history. Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka captivated the New York crowd with their fierce and attacking tennis. However, the infamous final was famous for its notorious bouts of outbursts rather than tennis. Serena engaging in a feud with the chair umpire grabbed the majority of the headlines. She eventually received plenty of flak for it. Amidst all the backlash, she also found support from another tennis great, Novak Djokovic.

It was a passing-of-the-baton moment in tennis. The great Serena Williams was stopped from winning her 24th Grand Slam title and matching Margaret Court’s record. On the other hand, Naomi Osaka engraved her name on a Grand Slam trophy for the first time.

Novak Djokovic had Serena Williams’ back

During the match, Serena was harshly accused of receiving coaching advice from her box, which was only made legal in 2022. It ruined the 23-time major winning champion’s momentum. She then questioned the umpire’s accusation, for which she received a point penalty. Osaka eventually broke Serena in the 4-4 game of the second set and served out the match.

Now, if there is one tennis player who could sympathize with fights involving the umpire, it is Novak Djokovic. The Serb himself has engaged in plenty of feuds with the umpire. After the match, Djokovic said via USA Today, “I love Serena. Really felt for her yesterday. Tough thing for a chair umpire to deal with. We have to empathize with him. Everyone was in a very awkward situation yesterday. A lot of emotions. Serena was crying. Naomi was crying. It was really, really tough.”

Djokovic further added, “ I have my personal opinion that maybe the chair umpire should not have pushed Serena to the limit, especially in a Grand Slam final.“. The Serb understood the severity of the occasion and believed that Serena should have received the benefit of the doubt.

READ MORE: Serena Williams Apologizes To Naomi Osaka For The US Open 2018 Controversy

In a battle where the stakes are high, players can feel vulnerable from time to time. Djokovic himself did at this year’s Wimbledon final where he had a little spat with the umpire, albeit mild. He knew what Serena was going through and as the then World No.1, he sympathized with the 23-time major champion.

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