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A day marred by injury


 

Originally published on 02/06/17 00:00

"My best match in a while"

Nine-time French Open champion, Rafael Nadal, made quick work of his third round challenge against Nikoloz Basilashvili, winning 6-0 6-1 6-0 in only 90 minutes.

 

Another man bites the dust…or two

It was with a very sad heart that we said goodbye to another great player – David Goffin, the No.10 seed, who was forced to retire after leading 5-4 in the first set.

The Belgian was carried off court after medics came to attend to him as he lay on the clay in agony. Having tried to retrieve a ball at the back of the court, his foot got caught under one of the rain covers that was folded by the back fence.

His opponent, Horacio Zeballos, on realising that Goffin never returned the ball, looked visibly upset as he went over to see what had happened. 

Goffin’s injury comes only one day after Nicolas Almagro injured his knee in his contest against Juan Martin del Potro on Thursday.

Doctors confirmed that Goffin’s ankle was not broken but the swelling was severe.

Meanwhile, Milos Raonic also got a free pass into the fourth round of the French Open when his opponent, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez retired from the match with a left thigh injury. Raonic had just taken the first set 6-1 and the first game of the second set before the players had to call time on showdown.

 

Djokovic unsettled

In a situation of his own making, Djokovic was distressed during his five-set marathon match when he was pulled up for taking too long to play the ball.

There is a 25 second time limit that can be taken between points, but when the Serb bounces the ball 15 to 20 times in-between serves, he is cutting this rule fine. In the end, the World No.2 pulled through, winning 5-7 6-3 3-6 6-1 6-1.

 

Agassi-Djokovic bromance

During an interview on Eurosport with Boris Becker, Andre Agassi revealed that he isn’t being paid by Djokovic for his pearls of wisdom and is happy to work with the player for free. Agassi went on to discuss that he is not only helping Djokovic with his tennis career, but they also discuss the player’s personal life.

Agassi explained: “He's a very inspirational guy for me. I do this on my own time, I do it on my money, I don't want anything, I don't need anything. I want to help him. And I think it helps the game. Him at his best is good for the game and it's a way I can help him hopefully.'

 

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Tim Farthing, Tennishead Editorial Director & Owner, has been a huge tennis fan his whole life. He's a tennis journalist and entrepreneur as well as playing tennis to a national standard. He also helps manage his local club and volunteers for his local tennis organisation. He's a specialist in content about the administration of professional tennis and tennis coaching for all levels.