Novak Djokovic and Danish teenager Holger Rune played one of the most exciting matches of the year on Monday morning (AEDT), but many tennis fans are talking about something else.
A video of Djokovic’s team trying to hide a substance he was preparing from inside the stadium at the Paris Masters during the Serb’s semi-final win over Stefanos Tsitsipas is going viral.
The clip appears to have captured the exact moment the 21-time Grand Slam champion’s entourage realized a bystander was filming him and then crawled inside Djokovic’s game box to protect what was being prepared from the operator. unknown camera.
The video then shows a member of Djokovic’s team handing a water bottle to a ball boy on the court before the water bottle is carried to Djokovic as he sits in his seat next to the referee’s chair.
Prominent tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg called Monday morning for greater transparency of the substances players take during matches, describing the body language of Djokovic’s entourage as “strange”.
“I always thought there should be more transparency about the substances players take, particularly during games, but I rarely thought anything was wrong,” he posted on Twitter.
“But gosh, the body language in this video is weird. What does Djokovic’s team think should be hidden?
“I think the rivals (and the public and the officials that govern the sport) should know each other. I don’t think secret substances should be ingested during competition.
“I’m not accusing anyone of anything here, but what an incredibly suspicious way to start acting when you suddenly realize you’re being filmed. I hope Djokovic and/or his team are asked about this today in Paris, and don’t just accept their earlier “magic potions” answer.
The video of an amateur fan has more than two million views.
A video surfaced online that appeared to show a member of Novak Djokovic’s team trying to hide a substance he was preparing during the Paris Masters.
A member of Novak Djokovic’s group apparently noticed a bystander filming them.
The entourage then appears to shift in their seats as the camera continues to roll.
Djokovic was not asked about it following his loss at the hands of Rune on Monday.
Rothenberg said it just didn’t look good for a team to act that way.
“It’s not crouching, it’s telling the other guy to block the camera with his back turned,” he tweeted in response to a comment from another Twitter user.
“The optic of that is just weird and invites more questions.”
Djokovic was also asked about the mysterious substances he was seen taking at Wimbledon this year, where he responded to press conference questions by saying: “It’s a magic potion, that’s all I can say.”
It may have helped Djokovic win the third-set tiebreak over Tsitsipas in the semi-final, but it didn’t help him cross the line against Rune.
Then a member of the group hands a yellow water bottle to a ball boy.
The yellow water bottle is then handed to Novak Djokovic on court.
The six-time champion was stunned by Rune 3-6 6-3 7-5 after taking the first set and breaking serve in the third set.
Rune, 19, became the youngest winner of the Paris tournament since 18-year-old Boris Becker in 1986 after beating five top 10 players in as many days, the first to do so in the same tournament. .
He is the fifth Masters winner for the first time this season and will be the first Dane to break into the top 10 when the ATP Rankings are officially updated on Monday.
It will be the first time two teenagers, Carlos Alcaraz and Rune, have been inside the top 10 at the same time since Andy Murray and Djokovic in 2007.
“It means the world to me, a perfect way to end the week,” Rune said.
“It was an amazing tournament.”
Holger Rune during the men’s singles final against Novak Djokovic at the Paris Masters on November 6, 2022.Xinhua News Agency via Getty Ima
After winning the title in Stockholm after runners-up in Sofia and Basel, Rune began his run to a fourth consecutive final by saving three match points in the first round to beat Stan Wawrinka.
He then dropped Hubert Hurkacz followed by Andrey Rublev before sacking Carlos Alcaraz when the world number one retired with injury while trailing by a set in the quarter-finals.
Rune snapped Felix Auger-Aliassime’s 16 match win streak to set up the clash with Djokovic, who had not lost at Bercy since his loss to Karen Khachanov in the 2018 final.
“For someone who is so young to show this composure and maturity in a big match like this is very impressive. He has had a week of his life,” Djokovic said.
The Serb entered Sunday’s final having won 21 of 22 matches since the start of Wimbledon, which he won for the seventh time in July to level with Pete Sampras.
He broke for a 3-1 lead when Rune committed two consecutive fouls in the biggest finish of his career to date.
Novak Djokovic in action against Holger Rune in the Paris Masters Men’s Singles Final on November 6, 2022.fake images
Djokovic comfortably held out to pocket the first set and seemed to have Rune on the ropes as he advanced 40-0 on his opponent’s serve in the first game of the second set.
But Rune put up a magnificent fight to frustrate Djokovic and then turned the momentum in his favor by breaking immediately to go 2-0 up in the next game, which proved enough to force a decider.
The 16-year age difference between the two was the largest in a Masters final since Rafael Nadal, then 19, defeated Andre Agassi, 35, in Montreal in 2005.
Rune’s inexperience resurfaced when he double-faulted while attempting a great second serve to give Djokovic a 3-1 lead, but the Dane showed his remarkable character to pull back immediately.
Instead, it was Djokovic who cracked when the pressure was on, blasting a forehand wide to give Rune a chance to serve for the trophy.
Rune withstood six break points in a marathon final game before securing the title after two hours and 34 minutes to complete an incredible week in the French capital.
Novak Djokovic and Holger Rune attend the award ceremony after the men’s singles final match at the Paris Masters on November 6, 2022.Xinhua News Agency via Getty Ima
“It was the most stressful game of my life,” Rune said of the gripping ending.
“My heart was almost in my brain. I was already starting to think about the tie-break. I am very proud that I was able to finish it.”
Rune is qualified for next week’s Next Gen Finals in Milan, but with his victory over Djokovic, he also becomes the first alternate for the ATP Finals in Turin from November 13-20.
Djokovic will be focused on winning the season-ending finals for a record-equaling sixth time to tie with Roger Federer.
“Of course I’m disappointed with today’s loss, but I was very close,” Djokovic said.
“It was very few points that decided a winner. But the level of tennis I am playing is high and I like my chances (in Turin).
“Every game is like a final there. There are no easy games.”
— AFP
Source: news.google.com