NOVAK DJOKOVIC went on a furious on-court rampage as he smashed his racket in half by STAMPING on it.
The world No1, 35, was the top seed at the prestigious Monte Carlo Masters 1000 event.
Novak Djokovic smashed his racket by stamping on it
The frame folded in half at the side of the court
However, he was stunned 4-6 7-5 6-4 by Italian tennis sensation Lorenzo Musetti in an epic match.
And emotions were running high throughout the three-set battle that lasted just shy of three hours.
Djokovic won the first set but in a chaotic second set, there were NINE breaks of serve.
And after the ninth, which saw Musetti take a 6-5 lead before serving it out, Djokovic’s fury boiled over.
The Serb walked back to his chair calmly and then suddenly lifted his right foot and put it straight through a spare racket resting against the bench.
The Head frame completely crumbled as he snapped it in the angry meltdown.
There was so much force put into the dramatic smash that the racket got wedged into the clay and Djokovic had to wiggle it free before discarding the folded frame as the chair umpire gave him a code violation.
Djokovic had been frustrated by a couple of decisions by Aurelie Tourte and was struggling to find his best form in the last-16 clash against world No21 Musetti.
But fans blasted his behaviour on social media, with one labelling Djokovic a “toddler” in front of his family for the antics.
Others, though, were left in shock of the unusual racket-smashing technique.
One wrote: “A disgraceful behaviour by someone who is supposed to be a role model for thousands of fans and young athletes. Rafael Nadal has never ever broken a racquet while this guy… smh!”
Another said: “Example of the reason why I’ll NEVER like Djokovic, as a player or as a person.”
A third added: “Disgrace from such a big champ.”
And a final user commented: “That is one of the most impressive things I’ve seen by any player all year. First of all, this is a creative way to break a racquet. Let’s get that right. Also, this is probably much harder than it looks.”
The 22-time Grand Slam winner was the heavy favourite in Monaco following his absence from the ‘Sunshine Swing’ in America due to his lack of Covid-19 vaccinations.
Carlos Alcaraz and Nadal both missed the event due to injury as the clay-court swing builds up to the French Open, which starts on May 28.
It got wedged in between the clay and the bench
Djokovic discarded the bent frame behind his seat
Djokovic got into a row with chair umpire Aurelie Tourte over a call on the baseline
