PARIS (AP) — Novak Djokovic he certainly seemed like someone ready to move on after the latest non-tennis related issue he was involved in during a Grand Slam tournament. Criticized after his previous match for comments on clashes in northern Kosovo Between ethnic Serbs and NATO-led peacekeepers, the 22-time major champion stayed away from political questions Wednesday night.
At the end of his 7-6 (2), 6-0, 6-3 victory over Marton Fucsovics in the second round of Roland Garros, Djokovic, a 36-year-old Serbian, wrote on the lens of a camera television: a custom in more and more tennis tournaments – and remained simple, with an autograph and a smiling face.
It was very different from what happened after his victory on Monday, when Djokovic attracted attention by writing in Serbian: “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence,” then he spoke on the subject at a press conference with journalists from his home country.
This prompted reprimands from a member of the French government, Roland Garros tournament director Amélie Mauresmo and the Kosovo tennis federation.
Sports Minister Amélie Oudea-Castera warned Djokovic on Wednesday morning not to engage in such international issues again at Roland Garros, saying his comments were “not appropriate”. Speaking on France 2 television channel, Oudéa-Castera said Mauresmo had encouraged Djokovic and his entourage to maintain “neutrality” on the playing field.
Asked about Oudéa-Castera and Mauresmo, Djokovic replied: “I have no further comment on this subject. I said what I needed to say.
As for the underlying topic, Djokovic said: “Of course I’m aware that a lot of people would disagree, but that’s how it is. This is something I stand for. So that’s it.
This sort of thing isn’t exactly new for Djokovic. After all, he missed the Australian Open and US Open in 2022 because he never received a COVID-19 vaccine. When he returned to Australia this year, he was asked about his father appearing with a group of people waving Russian flags – at least one showing an image of Vladimir Putin – outside the main stadium.
“A Grand Slam without drama – I don’t think it can happen for me,” Djokovic said on Wednesday. “You know, I guess that motivates me too.”
He found plenty of tennis-related reasons to worry during the epic first set against Fucsovics, which lasted an hour and a half.
One of the problems was how hard and how well Fucsovics hit the ball from the start. Another problem was the wind that blew through the event’s main stadium, waving players’ jerseys and whipping the flags atop the arena until they wrapped around their flagpoles. This swirling air lifted the clay of the court, which posed another problem for Djokovic: a fragile base.
He was slipping and sliding and had difficulty planting his feet properly. Djokovic asked the chair umpire to add more clay to the playing surface. Another complaint he had with the official was that the breaks between matches were too short.
Yet it was Djokovic who was better when it mattered most against Fucsovics, dominating the tiebreaker.
During changeover after that set, Djokovic changed his shirt and television cameras zoomed in on an object the size of a bottle cap that appeared to be stuck to his chest. It was not immediately clear what it was.
When a reporter asked him about it, Djokovic avoided a direct answer and instead opted for sarcasm, saying: “When I was a kid, I really liked Iron Man, so I’m trying to make myself pretend to be Iron Man. My team offers incredibly effective nanotechnology to help me perform at my best on the pitch. So this is the biggest secret of my career. Without it, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here.
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Sam Petrequin, AP Sports writer in Brussels, contributed.
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