Novak Djokovic positive appeared like somebody prepared to maneuver on from the most recent non-tennis challenge he is been concerned in throughout a Grand Slam event. Criticised after his previous match for comments about clashes in northern Kosovo between ethnic Serbs and NATO-led peacekeepers, the 22-time main champion stayed away from political issues on Wednesday evening.
When his 7-6 (2), 6-0, 6-3 victory over Marton Fucsovics within the second spherical of the French Open ended, Djokovic, a 36-year-old from Serbia, wrote on the lens of a TV digital camera — a customized at increasingly more tennis tournaments — and stored it easy, with an autograph and a smiley face.
Also Read | NATO soldiers on guard in Kosovo Serb town after clashes
It was fairly completely different from what occurred after his win Monday, when Djokovic drew consideration for writing in Serbian, “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence,” after which talking out in regards to the matter at a news convention with reporters from his residence nation.
That drew rebukes from a member of France’s authorities, French Open event director Amelie Mauresmo and the Kosovo tennis federation.
Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera warned Djokovic on Wednesday morning to not wade into such worldwide points once more at Roland Garros, saying his feedback had been “not appropriate.” Speaking on TV station France 2, Oudea-Castera stated Mauresmo inspired Djokovic and his entourage to keep up “neutrality” on the sphere of play.
Asked about Oudea-Castera and Mauresmo, Djokovic responded: “I have no more comment on that. I said what I needed to say.”
As for the underlying matter, Djokovic stated: “Of course, I’m aware that a lot of people would disagree, but it is what it is. It’s something that I stand for. So that’s all.”
This kind of factor shouldn’t be precisely new for Djokovic. He did, in any case, miss the Australian Open and U.S. Open in 2022 as a result of he by no means obtained photographs of the COVID-19 vaccine. When he returned to Australia this yr, he confronted questions on his father showing with a bunch of individuals waving Russian flags — at the very least one displaying a picture of Vladimir Putin — exterior the principle stadium.
“Drama-free Grand Slam — I don’t think it can happen for me,” Djokovic stated Wednesday. “You know, I guess that drives me, as well.”
He discovered loads of tennis-related causes to be bothered throughout the epic opening set towards Fucsovics, which lasted 1 1/2 hours.
One challenge was how exhausting, and the way nicely, Fucsovics was walloping the ball early on. Another was how windy it was within the occasion’s principal stadium, rippling the gamers’ shirts and whipping flags atop the sector till they twisted round their poles. That swirling air kicked up clay from the court docket, which led to a different drawback for Djokovic: shaky footing.
He would slip and slide and have bother getting his ft planted correctly. Djokovic requested the chair umpire for extra clay to be added to the enjoying floor. Another grievance he had for the official was that breaks between video games had been being lower too quick.
Still, it was Djokovic who was higher when it mattered essentially the most towards Fucsovics, dominating the tiebreaker.
During the changeover after that set, Djokovic modified shirts, and TV cameras zoomed in on an object in regards to the dimension of a bottle cap that seemed to be taped to his chest. It was not instantly clear what the merchandise was.
When a reporter requested him about it, Djokovic averted a direct reply and as an alternative opted for sarcasm, saying: “When I was a kid I liked Iron Man a lot, so I try to impersonate Iron Man. My team delivers an incredibly efficient nanotechnology to help me deliver my best on the court, so that’s the biggest secret of my career. If it wasn’t for that, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here.”