Novak Djokovic defeated French player Valentin Royer 3-1 in sets after a match that lasted nearly four hours.“A little long? I’m not sure I agree with that. When you play three and a half hours on clay, that’s long and very exhausting, at least in my opinion. I really exhausted myself physically today — very challenging conditions, it was extremely hot... It was my fault I didn’t finish it 3-0 because I had many chances, but I was too passive on match point and he took advantage of those opportunities. That’s when he gained momentum, but in the fourth set I managed to regroup. This was a much tougher match than the score suggests. He was fired up from the very first point and tactically very clear in what he wanted to do. He’s a great fighter. A good win for me. It’s not ideal that I spent so much time on court, but... yeah,” Djokovic said after reaching the third round of the French Open.Speaking about his overhead smash — a shot that has often been criticized throughout his career — Djokovic joked:“I don’t know if coaches think I’ve improved... Yeah, my fans call it the ‘Djokosmash,’ and that’s not exactly great! (laughs). It’s not a shot I’ve had confidence in over the last 10–15 years of my career, maybe before that I did. I don’t know... I’m not a big fan of overheads, let’s put it that way. If you watch my matches, you’ll understand why.”His next opponent will be either João Fonseca or Dino Prižmić.“I watched a little bit, Fonseca is up a break in the fifth now... He looks fresher and better. Fonseca has been getting a lot of praise over the last few years. His potential and quality are obvious, there’s no doubt about that. He has huge Brazilian support and I think he’s a player capable of big things. He played a night match with Sinner in Indian Wells. He beat Rublev 3-0 at the Australian Open, so he can definitely step up when it matters most. Prižmić beat me a few weeks ago. I feel and play better now than I did in Rome, but he’s a hard worker. I played him in the first round of the Australian Open a few years ago and it was a tough four-setter, so both matches against him have been difficult. I thought he would break through earlier, but I know he had injury problems. He lacks consistency, but the quality is there. Whoever I play, it’ll be another long, demanding match.”Djokovic also criticized the lack of an extreme heat protocol at French Open.“I really don’t understand why there’s no heat rule here. Or is there one? Oh, it’s some additional index, formula, calculation... That is a discussion, but then if you close one roof while everyone else has to play outside, that’s not fair either. I don’t agree with that either, even though it would help me a lot. In Australia that happened to me a few times, but in recent years we’ve seen delays of one, two, three hours until the temperature drops below the limit. At Grand Slams there really shouldn’t be such problems — we have many courts, we have lights, matches can be moved and played on stadium courts when necessary. At tournaments without those conditions it’s different, but here... why not? We have some tournaments like Umag where matches start around 5 p.m. and are played at night. Is it ideal to play after midnight? No. But if the heat is extreme, maybe they should think about it.”Djokovic also spoke warmly about 14-year-old Greek talent Rafael Pagonis, who attended the match.“We haven’t spoken Greek yet, I still need to work on my Greek. Greek is really challenging! He’s a very good kid, he has good people around him, his family, and I like that. Then he also has huge talent, he’s excellent for someone who is 14 years old, enormous potential. We trained together a few times and practiced next to each other many times before Roland Garros. I saw how he trains and how dedicated he is, but he’s still just a boy. I told his father that I’m here, I’m in Athens and always available for any advice. His father joked that I could join his team once I retire, and I told him he’ll have to wait a long time. He’ll retire before me! Jokes aside, he’s a good kid and I’m following his career.” 
28.5.2026.
10:44
Novak Djokovic: "I really don't understand why there's no heat rule here"
Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic spoke at a press conference after advancing to the third round of the French Open.
Izvor: B92.sport
Autor: B92.sport
Podeli:
Vrati se na vest
0 Ostavite komentar