The bad, the worse and the unforgivable
Two days ago we brought you the heroes of the sporting year. As we reflect on a year we’d all probably rather forget, today Stuff reveals our top five villains of 2020.
Novak Djokovic: on-court meltdowns and vaccine denial
Tennis ace Novak Djokovic was embroiled in several scandals this year, including a bizarre incident that saw him thrown out of the US Open.
After dropping a game during his fourth-round match with Pablo Carreno Busta, the frustrated Serb angrily smacked a ball behind him – striking a female line judge in the throat.
Intentional or not, tournament officials took a dim view, defaulting the match to bring his pursuit of an 18th grand slam title to an ignominious end.
Djokovic – who had been the hot favourite in New York – swiftly apologised and vowed to evolve as a ‘‘player and human being’’. But his supporters clearly didn’t get the memo, bombarding the line judge with online abuse after she was named by Serbian media.
Prior to his meltdown at Flushing Meadows, Djokovic courted controversy for his role in organising a charity exhibition in Serbia and Croatia at the height of the global pandemic. Several top players at the tournament tested positive – including Djokovic himself.
If that wasn’t enough, the world No 1 also came out as an anti-vaxxer, saying he’d refuse a compulsory coronavirus vaccine to resume the tennis season.
What he said: ‘‘This whole situation has left me really sad and empty.’’
Danny Lee: spat the dummy after a six-putt
The Kiwi golfer’s major meltdown at the US Open in September went viral – and put his character in the spotlight.
Wrapping up his third round at Winged Foot, Lee six-putted
from an initial distance of four feet to record a calamitous quintuple bogey nine on the 18th. That saw the
30-year-old card an eight-over 78, tumbling
20 places down the leaderboard from a respectable 35th. Shortly after, Lee announced his withdrawal from the event due to a sore wrist. But footage of him smashing his putter into his bag as he stormed off the green cast doubt on that injury. Days later, Lee issued an apology for his ‘‘unprofessional
and foolish’’ behaviour and promised to work on his temperament.
What he said: ‘‘Now [I’m] gonna [sic] take some time off and think about what I did and starting next time I’ll show up as [a] better person and have better sportsmanship.’’
Dylan Groenewegen: left cycling rival in a coma
The Dutch cyclist’s reckless actions at the Tour of Poland in August will forever go down in sporting infamy.
Sprinting for the win at the end of the event’s opening stage in Katowice, Groenewegen deviated from his line in the final metres, shoving compatriot
Fabio Jakobsen through the roadside barriers and causing a massive crash. Jakobsen, 24, was airlifted to hospital in a serious condition and placed in an induced coma for two days. His facial injuries were so severe they required reconstructive surgery. Despite hitting the tarmac himself, Jumbo-Visma’s Groenewegen somehow crossed the line in first place but was later disqualified and the stage win awarded to Jakobsen.
The International Cycling Union condemned Groenewegen’s ‘‘dangerous behaviour’’ and its disciplinary panel banned him from the sport for nine months.
Groenewegen at least showed remorse, saying the incident would ‘‘forever be a black page in my career’’.
What he said: ‘‘I follow the news of Fabio’s recovery very closely. I can only hope that one day he will return completely.’’
Colby Covington: Trump-loving trash-talker
We’re used to bad losers, but controversial UFC fighter Colby Covington took being a bad winner to a new level after his fifth-round TKO victory over Tyron Woodley.
Having ridiculed Woodley, a
Black Lives Matter activist, in the buildup to their Las Vegas grudge match, the welterweight contender and outspoken Donald Trump supporter took a swipe at everyone from Joe Biden to LeBron James in an extraordinary post-fight interview.
‘‘If you thought that was a beating, wait until November 3 when Donald Trump gets his hands on Sleepy Joe [Biden]. That’s gonna be a landslide,’’ Covington predicted of the looming US presidential election. (Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.)
Then, after dedicating his victory to ‘‘all the first responders, all the military out there’’, the MAGA-loving MMA star turned his fire on NBA legend James and other ‘‘woke athletes’’, labelling the LA Lakers forward a ‘‘spineless coward’’ for his activism.
To add insult to injury, Covington later received an impromptu call from Trump during the post-fight press conference, putting the US president on speaker phone for everyone to hear.
‘‘I’m proud of you man, I’m a big fan and I’m proud of you,’’ Trump told Covington as the pair exchanged pleasantries.
A fight against former friend and fellow Trump disciple Jorge
Masvidal is reportedly in the works for 2021.
What he said: ‘‘Ladies and gentlemen, the silent majority is ready to make some noise.’’
Marlon Samuels: taking a swing at cricket rivals
Volatile West Indies cricketer Marlon Samuels is not one to forgive and forget.
The brash Jamaican’s longrunning spat with England allrounder Ben Stokes can be traced back to a fiery 2015 test series in the Caribbean.
The pair also memorably clashed in the 2016 World T20 final, when Samuels knocked the winning runs off Stokes’ disastrous final over.
But their simmering feud reached a nadir in October when Samuels took exception to some light-hearted banter from the New Zealand-born Stokes.
When Stokes jokingly told the BBC he wouldn’t wish the 14 days he spent in managed isolation while visiting his ill father in New Zealand on his ‘‘worst enemy’’ – not even Marlon Samuels – the West Indian exploded.
In an expletive-laden Instagram post, Samuels made a crude sexual reference to Stokes’ wife, called Australian great Shane Warne a ‘‘bitch’’, and claimed to have a ‘‘superior skin tone’’.
The backlash was swift. Former England captain Michael Vaughan condemned the ‘‘appalling’’ remarks, while Warne – who has history of his own with Samuels – claimed the 39-year-old has ‘‘no friends’’ and ‘‘needs serious help’’.
The following month, Samuels quietly announced his retirement.