Novak Djokovic emerged victorious from a tense French Open second-round affair on Wednesday evening.
Djokovic, who is seeking to win his 25th Grand Slam title in Paris, defeated home favourite Valentin Royer 6-3, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 on Court Philippe Chatrier.
Tensions boiled over midway through the contest, when disruption and booing from the Roland Garros crowd prompted Djokovic to claim they had ‘no respect.’
However, Djokovic soon regained his composure before securing victory in three hours and 28 minutes.
Give us your one wild prediction for Roland Garros!
Djokovic will hope for a simpler affair when he plays Joao Fonseca in the third round.
Unfortunately for the Serbian, this scenario is unlikely to transpire.
Novak Djokovic must avoid a long match against Joao Fonseca
Novak Djokovic simply cannot allow himself to be drawn into a long, gruelling battle against Joao Fonseca on Friday.
Having already contested two fairly lengthy four-set contests, Djokovic simply cannot afford to accumulate significant wear and tear heading into the second week of Roland Garros.
With Fonseca’s fans likely to turn out in their numbers, Friday’s contest is likely to be a boisterous affair, with fans playing their part in affecting the momentum of the match.
Fonseca is also riding the wave of a stunning second-round comeback against Dino Prizmic. Fonseca trailed the Croat by two sets, but roared back to claim a 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 victory on Court 14.
Fonseca will also be motivated by merely having the opportunity to compete against one of the greatest players in tennis history, as he conveyed after defeating Prizmic.
The Brazilian has also demonstrated that he has the tools to compete against the best players on the planet, as was demonstrated during his close 6-7, 6-7 loss to Jannik Sinner at Indian Wells.
Are Joao Fonseca’s fans good for tennis? 😬
If Djokovic does not swiftly establish control over Friday’s match, he could very quickly find himself competing in an extended affair in Paris.
While Djokovic is certainly an exceptional athlete, at 39 years old, he is not the ‘spring chicken’ he once was; and he has already contested two long matches in the French capital.
If the Serbian star wishes to win Roland Garros, he will need to maintain a good physical status heading into the latter rounds.
A long, drawn-out affair against Fonseca would do him no favours in that regard.
Novak Djokovic’s half of the Roland Garros draw
- Casper Ruud vs Tommy Paul
- Thiago Agustin Tirante vs Pablo Carreno Busta
- Alexander Zverev vs Quentin Halys
- Karen Khachanov vs Jesper de Jong
- Alex Michelsen vs Rafael Jodar
- Novak Djokovic vs Joao Fonseca
Novak Djokovic described his match with Valentin Royer as ‘very exhausting’
After beating Royer on Wednesday, one journalist described the contest as ‘reasonably long’ during the post-match press conference.
Djokovic took issue with this description, claiming the match was ‘long and very exhausting.’
“I don’t know if I’m liking or agreeing with your comment, like ‘reasonably long,'” Djokovic told the reporter.
“When you play a 3 and a half hour match on clay, it’s long and very exhausting. At least in my opinion.
“So yeah, physically spent quite a bit of energy on a very hot day. Very challenging conditions.
“It was obviously my fault I didn’t finish in straight sets. I was a break up twice in the 3rd. Match point. Just too passive in those points. He took his chances and got the crowd support he was looking for.
“Momentum shifted but I managed to kind of regroup in the 4th. It was very challenging. The scoreline maybe doesn’t do it justice. It was a very very tough match.
“I think he was playing at a high level. He was pumped. You could see it from the first point.. really clear intentions what he needs to do tactically.
“He’s a fighter. I never faced him before but I saw some of the matches he’s played. He’s a great fighter. Competes well. A very good win for me.
“Obviously not ideal that I stayed almost 4 hours on court but it’s of course positive when you win.”
