'Tennis Karen' and the beginning of a Djokovic redemption story?

[conjoshruk]

With the rise of the coronavirus in recent months the term 'Karen' has been attached to a middle age, white woman who is very privileged and entitled.
Many djokovic fans are labelling the lineswoman a 'tennis Karen' for her 'Oscar worthy performance'. This comments are pretty funny. Don't think I've ever seen an incident blow up this forum in recent memory. Just wondering when the flood of Djokovic threads will subside, maybe in a few days. But in the meantime, I might as well ride the wave.
But on a serious note, the fact is none of us know what it felt like to be hit by that ball in that moment. It didn't seem like it was particularly fast but the fact it hit her throat was the deciding factor imo. If it had hit her leg and arm, maybe discretion could have been used, to impose a point/game penalty and warning. Before escalating to a default. I know the rules and the rules, but officials will always hold discretion in matters like this to apply the rules in a manner which aligns with the severity of the incident. Many of you on this forum may have noticed that I am a Novak fan, but I'll admit, what he did was unintentional, but very negligent/careless.
I just hope that Djokovic learns from this series of events and comes back even stronger, to beat Rafa and win the French Open for only the second time. What a story of redemption that would be!

 

[Tennis_Hands]

So, the Djokovic gang has unleashed a hate attitude towards the person that actually was on the receiving end.

 

[Deleted member 770948]

 

[Nadal_Django]

With the rise of the coronavirus in recent months the term 'Karen' has been attached to a middle age, white woman who is very privileged and entitled.
Many djokovic fans are labelling the lineswoman a 'tennis Karen' for her 'Oscar worthy performance'. This comments are pretty funny. Don't think I've ever seen an incident blow up this forum in recent memory. Just wondering when the flood of Djokovic threads will subside, maybe in a few days. But in the meantime, I might as well ride the wave.
But on a serious note, the fact is none of us know what it felt like to be hit by that ball in that moment. It didn't seem like it was particularly fast but the fact it hit her throat was the deciding factor imo. If it had hit her leg and arm, maybe discretion could have been used, to impose a point/game penalty and warning. Before escalating to a default. I know the rules and the rules, but officials will always hold discretion in matters like this to apply the rules in a manner which aligns with the severity of the incident. Many of you on this forum may have noticed that I am a Novak fan, but I'll admit, what he did was unintentional, but very negligent/careless.
I just hope that Djokovic learns from this series of events and comes back even stronger, to beat Rafa and win the French Open for only the second time. What a story of redemption that would be!

Whatever the part of the body, she was going down rolling on the floor alright.

 

[bullfan]

Delete

 

[Arak]

The fact remains that umpires are scared to give penalties to influential players. Had the umpire given him a warning for hitting the ball to the stands, maybe it would have made him more careful and the DQ incident wouldn’t have happened.

 

[Raiden]

Not a karen — she actually didn't complain or snap at anyone.

She strutted away from the scene with calm poise, went to her Fedal poster decorated home, and put this in her music player:

 

[RF-18]

So, the Djokovic gang has unleashed a hate attitude towards the person that actually was on the receiving end.

Very few thinks this was uncalled for.

 

[Tennis_Hands]

Very few thinks this was uncalled for.

I propose that you make an experiment: press your throat (not the neck, the trachea) just at the base of the neck where it comes out of the body sideways, and tell me what you feel. Now put a mask on and do it again.

Report back the results.



Edit: Warning, do that at your own peril and responsibility.

 

[Zardoz7/12]

Only last night someone told me what "Karen" meant.

 

[RF-18]

I propose that you make an experiment: press your throat (not the neck, the trachea) just at the base of the neck where it comes out of the body sideways, and tell me what you feel. Now put a mask on and do it again.

Report back the results.

Very few in the gang you are describing thinks this was not a default and that she put on a show. You said "Djokovic gang has unleashed a hate attitude". Very few in this gang thinks its the case. So I'm simply telling you not to generelise.

 

[TheNachoMan]

If she can’t handle a ball being pelted at her then maybe she shouldn't be a linesperson

 

[Tennis_Hands]

Very few in the gang you are describing thinks this was not a default and that she put on a show. You said "Djokovic gang has unleashed a hate attitude". Very few in this gang thinks its the case. So I'm simply telling you not generelise.

It is an attitude clearly unleashed from that group of people, and the posts around here confirm that.

I myself did that experiment and would advice anyone who still claims that she "put on a show" to try it (again, at his own risk, as it is rather unpleasant). Then continue to claim that with a straight face.

 

[Sentinel]

What happened here? I've watched it several times and can't figure out.

 

[Deleted member 369227]

Novak hit the ball recklessly -> the ball struck the linesperson in the throat -> the tournament officials applied the tennis rules and disqualified him.

End of story, life goes on.

 

[I Am Finnish]

Karen Khachanov?

 

[RF-18]

It is an attitude clearly unleashed from that group of people, and the posts around here confirm that.

I myself did that experiment and would advice anyone who still claims that she "put on a show" to try it (again, at his own risk, as it is rather unpleasant). Then continue to claim that with a straight face.

I agree with you. I also think it's an unpleasant experience and rather not wanna try it actually. Djokovic was rightfully defaulted and has himself to blame. But really most Novak fans I've seen here thinks the same. Only a small minority that thinks otherwise. And also you have Federer fans who thinks she acted. So this minority isnt just from the Novak camp.

 

[Frenchy-Player]

 

[canta_Brian]

What happened here? I've watched it several times and can't figure out.

Make sure you have sound on!

 

[Tennis_Hands]

I agree with you. I also think it's an unpleasant experience and rather not wanna try it actually. Djokovic was rightfully defaulted and has himself to blame. But really most Novak fans I've seen here thinks the same. Only a small minority that thinks otherwise. And also you have Federer fans who thinks she acted. So this minority isnt just from the Novak camp.

I don't consider people that are on the Federer bandwagon "Federer fans", and in any event they are literally single individuals, whereas the overwhelming majority of those who claimed that she "acted" are from the group that I identified. Nothing more to be said, but good that you don't want to make that experiment: it is a rather unpleasant thing, let alone if it happens unexpectedly and actually with a hit and not with a gentle press.

 

[Antonio Puente]

If she can’t handle a ball being pelted at her then maybe she shouldn't be a linesperson

A linesperson should be expecting a shot at their face moments after the point has ended?

This is something few people have talked about - legal ramifications for the tournament, if someone were seriously injured. You almost had to disqualify Djoker to deter future incidents, and if a future incident does happen, to show you attempted to deter it.

 

[Swingmaster]

I didn’t think her reaction was too bad. I think she got down and turned around on the ground to recover without the whole world seeing. Unfortunately, she went down, turned around, and happened to come face to face with another camera, inside the wall. People think she was milking it but I think she was avoiding public humiliation. Unfortunately, she is currently facing some humiliation, so in my estimation, she deserves $20,000.

 

[Raiden]

Djokovic did lose to a tennis Karen · but that wasn't yesterday.

 

[MichaelNadal]

 

[Fedforever]

Many djokovic fans are labelling the lineswoman a 'tennis Karen' for her 'Oscar worthy performance'. This comments are pretty funny.

It isn't funny. This woman has done absolutely nothing wrong and now finds herself being vilified. Ordinary members of the public who suddenly find themselves the center of attention and getting totally unwarranted abuse find it difficult to deal with. There was a horrendous case in the UK where someone actually killed themselves after being targeted for a "prank" and finding themselves at the center of a media storm.

Sure it's been annoying that that small section of the Novak fanbase has been smearing Fed for years but he's a big boy and very well insulated from it. Turning the guns on a wholly innocent woman is disgusting.

 

[citybert]

Not a karen — she actually didn't complain or snap at anyone.

She strutted away from the scene with calm poise, went to her Fedal poster decorated home, and put this in her music player:

You obviously havent seen passive aggressive Karen. And no I dont think this lady is karen save the haircut. SHe was shocked and surprised and recovered just fine.

 

[Fedforever]

And here we go - woman being attacked in Serbian media because she allowed Novak to hit her with a ball.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1302945701857505282

 

[D-Lite]

The way he hit it in this video almost looks like he's mistaken her for a ball person (who's actually to her right). If he's smacking it in disgust at himself I really don't get why he's not hit it directly to the boarding at the back - it didn't seem like he cracked the ball hard enough to be doing it in rage.
Anyway, rules are rules but the whole thing seems like a salty attack on him - his apology was adequate and he clearly immediately looked to check on her and apologise - I'm sure he's spoke to/contacted her in private and now as long as she's forgives him it's just down to the 2 of them providing she has no throat injury.

 

[yossarian]

Blaming the woman in this situation (and making fun of her appearance to boot) is extremely, extremely low. Like sewer level class of grimy

Really puts the kind of people that post here into perspective

 

[HazBeen18]

Have any of you been hit by a moderately struck tennis ball? And I emphasize moderately struck, because it doesn't take much to do some damage. Case in point, I once had a weak 3.5 player tag me in the stomach with a poorly struck overhead. I had a tennis-ball-sized welt on my stomach for a week. She's lucky if all she gets out of this is a sore throat for a bit. The rule is there to protect the volunteers and they literally copy-pasted the rule out of the handbook into their statement. Please leave this poor woman out of the discussion.

 

[Beckerserve]

Karen is a complimentary term is it not?

 

[Deleted member 771911]

Reading the comments sections in some newspapers and talking to friends, I was surprised how many people blame the lineswoman for making 'too much' of the incident and think the punishment was unwarranted.

Still, let's say she did overreact. She may be a recovering ptsd victim. She may be someone who just overreacts. She may have a very high sense of self-esteem and was mortified anyone would do something like that around her, to her, even if unintentional. The list of possibilities how she could react in a way that impacts Djokovic negatively are a few. She could have been even more emotional and gone into complete hysterics in shock, depending on who she is.

But players cannot control the reaction of the person they end up hitting when they do what Novak Djokovic did. He can't rely on thinking 'oh if I do hit someone, it will only be lightly and they will shrug it off an at worst I'll get a point penalty." If that is what he is thinking or people are expecting from her, a person they do not know, I am surprised. With a complete random person, you cannot assume they will react to your actions in the way you think they should or the way you want. We can't judge her or blame her for not acting in the way we want her to act. It is Djokovic who set the chain of events in motion and without that act there would be no reaction on her part. That is what this comes down to. More fool him if he thinks the world is going to respond to his every act the way he thinks they should. He made himself very very vulnerable here and unlucky for him, the person he hit did not react in a way favorable to his outcome. That's on him, though, not her.

She has every right to react how she does, overreacting or not, and it is naive on Djokovic's parts or his defenders to assume there is one set reaction to his actions that everyone will follow.

 

[fedfan08]

There’s nothing funny about calling this linesperson a ’Karen’ or accusing her of faking it or overreacting. It didn’t happen to any of us so we have no right to assume anything. All I know is I wouldn’t want a tennis ball hitting me in the neck/throat.

 

[clout]

Karen Khachanov?

It’s one thing to be named Karen - and another to be a male named Karen in a year where that name has been used so much in a negative manner