2023-05-29 19:06:06
Ranked 114th player in the world, the American Aleksandar Kovacevic gave him a little bit of trouble. After a quiet start (6-3, 6-2), Novak Djokovic gritted his teeth slightly in the third set (7-6) to quietly pass the first round. Present for the 19th time at Porte d’Auteuil, the double winner in 2016 and 2021 is quietly advancing in the table. The Hungarian Marton Fucsovics (n°83) awaits him in the next round.
As much as his match, the world number 3 succeeded in leaving the court. At the microphone in the middle of the central, Novak Djokovic took the time to answer the questions of the Spaniard Alex Corretja, double finalist on this ground in 1998 and 2001. For years, the Serb has made the effort to answer questions in French on the court. This time, almost a year to the day after his quarter-final loss to Rafael Nadal at the end of the night, Djoko pushed the plug even further. He obviously debriefed his match in the language of Molière, welcoming the resistance of his opponent. And then, he put the public of the Philippe-Chatrier court in his pocket.
“Do we continue in English or in French? “, Corretja asked him:” I want to speak in French, even if I believe that I have already exhausted all the words that I master in your language “launched, looking at the stands, the one who sets out to the historic conquest of a 23rd title in a Grand Slam. Obviously at that time, the public of what he considers to be one of the “greatest tournaments in the world” stands up and gives him a standing ovation.
“He may not be my favorite player but I want him to win the tournament to witness a moment that will go down in history,” slips a spectator. When he stumbles over a word, Djokovic turns to his right and calls for help: “Please, I’m looking for a French teacher…”. Ten fingers suddenly rise to volunteer. Djoko challenges one: “You, do you want? I hire you”.
It’s bent. Once again, the Chatrier court fell in love with Djoko. After his speech, he climbs over the parapet, walks over to a few fans, offers them, as he often does, two towels out of his bag and accepts a few selfies. Djokovic’s fortnight is off to a good start on the court side and on the stands side…
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