Novak Djokovic hits out at Paris crowd after booing: ‘I won’t play with French players anymore’ tennis news
novak djokovic Criticized the crowd at Roland Garros and said he hoped he would not have to face another French player after he was jeered during his match against Frenchman Valentin Royer.Djokovic extended his bid for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title with a hard-fought 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(9), 6-3 win over Royer in the second round. This was the second consecutive match that a Serbian player has defeated a French player, after defeating Giovanni Mpetshi Pericard in the first round.At one point during the match, Djokovic sarcastically clapped at the crowd, accusing the home crowd of lacking respect, while he was being scolded and told to be quiet by the umpire. The umpire said, “Ladies and gentlemen, please have some respect for both players.” Djokovic immediately said, “He has no respect, no respect.”“I hope I won’t play any other French players for the rest of the tournament,” the Serbian player said after the win.Vintage Djokovic dominated the first two sets. The three-time Roland-Garros winner was reading Royer’s patterns and hitting a series of laser-focused shots. But Royer refused to back down and the 24-year-old’s persistence paid off as she opened up her sloping forehand to level the third set at 4-4.In the tie-break and Djokovic held the match point at 6–5. Then, Royer refused to surrender, using bold strikes and quick movements to put the 24-time major winner on the back foot. A few points later and Djokovic’s backhand went long, prompting a thunderous roar from the Paris faithful as the clash continued.“I am relieved. Obviously, it feels different when you win a match. It is a very important win in difficult circumstances for both players.” “It was very hot and I think Valentin deserves big credit for his performance today,” Djokovic said in the post-match press conference.“It was a very difficult match, a challenge from the very beginning. It is normal that in such conditions and atmosphere on the court things become difficult. I hope that by the end of the tournament I will not have to play another French player again!” he, who now has an incredible 14-0 record against French players at Roland Garros, added after the match.With a win, the Serbian has reached the third round of Roland-Garros for the 21st consecutive time. Additionally, the 39-year-old became the first man to play 120 matches in a single Grand Slam tournament, surpassing Roger Federer’s Wimbledon tally of 119.The former world No. 1 will next face 28th seed Joao Fonseca of Brazil, who made a spectacular comeback from two sets down to defeat Croatian Dino Prismic and book his place in the third round.