Novak Djokovic advanced to the French Open third round on Wednesday after defeating home favourite Valentin Royer.
Djokovic proved too strong for the Frenchman, winning 6-3, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, in three hours and 28 minutes.
It was an inspirational performance from the Serbian superstar, who was left frustrated by the behaviour of the partisan crowd inside Court Philippe Chatrier.
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Djokovic will now turn his attention towards Joao Fonseca – the Brazilian youngster who produced a stunning five-set victory over Dino Prizmic on Wednesday.
Djokovic’s performances in Paris have certainly been impressive so far; and they have caught the eye of Andy Roddick.
Andy Roddick has been left stunned by Novak Djokovic’s performance against Valentin Royer
Roddick, the 2003 US Open champion, has been left astounded by Djokovic’s ability to pace himself and manage his energy reserves during intense Grand Slam battles.
At 39 years old, Djokovic is simply defying all prior expectations of what a tennis player can achieve at that age.
“I should not be surprised at this point,” Roddick admitted on the Served Podcast. “But coming in playing Royer – a Frenchman who played great, he had the crowd on his side, it was a million degrees out.
“Novak looked okay at the end of this match. You have seen him at the US Open where he gets into a rough one and it looks like his body is about to give out.
“He was taking his time and pacing himself, there is nobody better at managing a match, the ebbs and flows and when to push and when to pull back and when to throw a point away for energy.
“But how the hell does he keep doing this? He looked good today, he looked really good!”
Jon Wertheim, senior journalist for Sports Illustrated, went on to discuss what he has heard about Djokovic and his potential French Open schedule.
Novak Djokovic’s Roland Garros draw so far
- First round: defeated Giovanni Mpetshi-Perricard 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4
- Second round: defeated Valentin Royer 6-2, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3
- Third round: Joao Fonseca
- Fourth round: Casper Ruud / Tommy Paul
“This is somewhere between I am not reporting this but it’s informed enough that it’s not just rumoured,” Wertheim said.
“Novak has a lot of juice, he can play whenever he wants. The tournament would rather have him as the night session.
“Why would he pick third on in the heat of the day? One of the stories I have heard is that you can’t play every match at night and it becomes a complete competitive imbalance.
“Novak may well have said that I am thinking of playing the long game here.
“I am going to want some night matches over the weekend or early next week and he is thinking in terms of winning the title and if I am going to play a day session, this wouldn’t be a bad way to do it.
Novak Djokovic would be the undisputed GOAT if he won Grand Slam number 25 – could anyone argue otherwise?
“I don’t think Novak is here to reach the third or fourth round and say I am playing great for 39.”
Roddick then added: “And listen it was a little bumpy in the third set. Obviously he got extended. He doesn’t want to get extended.
“He would have liked to button this up in two hours 15 minutes and he got pushed to three hours and 44 minutes [Ed note: the match was three hours and 28 minutes]. You don’t want that if you are Novak; but also, the reps aren’t bad for him.
“He is in this Serena [Williams] mode now where he almost plays himself into shape during the Slam in real time, because no matter how much you practice, you can’t recreate nerves.
The Roland Garros bottom half of the draw
- Novak Djokovic vs Joao Fonseca
- Casper Ruud vs Tommy Paul
- Alex Michelsen vs Rafael Jodar
- Thiago Agustin Tirante vs Pablo Carreno Busta
- Karen Khachanov vs Jesper de Jong
- Alexander Zverev vs Quentin Halys
Novak Djokovic said the Roland Garros crowd had ‘no respect’
Wednesday’s contest was far from a simple affair for Novak Djokovic.
After comfortably winning the opening two sets, the partisan crowd began to irritate the Serbian superstar.
The intensity of the situation inside Court Philippe Chatrier came to a head when a spectator apparently disrupted Djokovic’s focus.
A chorus of boos then emanated from the crowd towards Djokovic, prompting the umpire to call for ‘respect.’
During the period of general discontent, Djokovic was heard to say: “They don’t have respect, no respect, no respect.”
Djokovic could be met with another raucous atmosphere when he plays Joao Fonseca on Friday.
Fonseca, described as a ‘big stage player’ by Djokovic, boasts one of the most dedicated fan bases on the planet.
Fonseca’s fans have been known to be boisterous in the past, as demonstrated when Hamad Medjedovic requested they be told to ‘shut up’ at the Italian Open.
