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June 11 (Reuters) - Following are reactions to Novak Djokovic winning a men's record 23rd Grand Slam singles title by beating Casper Ruud in the French Open final on Sunday. AMERICAN TENNIS GREAT BILLIE JEAN KINGCongrats to Djokovic, Men's Singles title for the third time. He now has a record 23 Grand Slam tournament singles titles. AUSTRALIAN TENNIS GREAT ROD LAVERCongratulations on winning 23 majors... and cementing your legacy in another command performance at Roland Garros. TWO TIMES GRAND SLAM WINNER VICTORIA AZARENKAUnreal Djokovic.
Persons: Novak Djokovic, Casper Ruud, Ruud, Rafa Nadal's, THOMAS BACH Chapeau Novak, Roger, Federer, Rafael, Nadal, RAFA NADAL, BILLIE JEAN KING Congrats, Djokovic, ROD LAVER, Roland Garros, AZARENKA, AZARENKA Unreal Djokovic, Tommy Lund, Toby Davis Organizations: INTERNATIONAL, Olympic Games, AZARENKA Unreal, Thomson Locations: Serbian, Norwegian, Gdansk
PARIS, June 11 (Reuters) - Casper Ruud has now lost the three Grand Slam finals he has played, but the Norwegian believes he has earned something at the French Open this year - the respect of his peers. Ruud lost 7-6(1) 6-3 7-5 against Novak Djokovic in his second straight final at Roland Garros on Sunday as the Serbian claimed a record-breaking 23rd men's Grand Slam title. "Obviously anyone you play in a Grand Slam final is going to be a good player. I played very tough players, as you say," the 24-year-old Ruud said. Ruud, however, can look ahead with some confidence as his consistency is likely to give him another shot at a Grand Slam title.
Persons: Casper Ruud, Ruud, Novak Djokovic, Roland Garros, Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, I've, Rafa, Carlos, Novak, Casper didn't, Djokovic, I'm, It's, Julien Pretot, Toby Davis Organizations: U.S, Thomson Locations: Norwegian, Serbian, New York
French Open men's final to start under closed roof
  + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: 1 min
[1/2] Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 11, 2023 Serbia's Novak Djokovic walks out ahead of the men's singles final against Norway's Casper Ruud REUTERS/Clodagh KilcoynePARIS, June 11 (Reuters) - The French Open men's final between Serbia's Novak Djokovic and Norway's Casper Ruud will start under a closed roof with rain showers forecast in Paris on Sunday. The retractable roof was first used in the 2020 edition of Roland Garros and that year, as the tournament was played in September and October amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the final was effectively played indoors. Djokovic was thrashed in that final 6-0 6-2 7-5 by Spain's Rafael Nadal. The Serbian is looking to win a record-breaking 23rd men's singles Grand Slam title on Sunday. Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons: Roland Garros, Serbia's Novak Djokovic, Norway's Casper Ruud, Spain's Rafael Nadal, Julien Pretot, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Djokovic, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, PARIS
Now, with Federer retired and Nadal injured, Djokovic has an opportunity to stake his own claim in that unending debate and win a record 23rd grand slam title on Sunday at the French Open, surpassing the mark he currently holds with Nadal. Standing in Djokovic’s way is Casper Ruud, who has now reached three of the last five grand slam finals, including last year’s final at Roland Garros where he was dismantled 6-3 6-3 6-0 by Nadal. If Djokovic can win on Sunday, he will also return to the top of the world rankings and become the first male player to win each grand slam tournament at least three times. Casper Ruud was defeated by Nadal in last year's French Open final. That semifinal performance will galvanize Ruud ahead of the final, as he seeks to upset the odds and take a first grand slam title.
Persons: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic –, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Casper Ruud, Roland Garros, “ I’m, it’s, ” Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Tim Clayton, Corbis, Karen Khachanov, Alcaraz, Djokovic coasted, Ruud, , Rafa, Novak, ” Ruud, “ I’ve, Lisi Niesner, Reuters “, I’m, Holger Rune, Alexander Zverev, galvanize Ruud Organizations: CNN, tennis, ATP, Djokovic, cramp, Nadal, Guardian, Reuters Locations: Norwegian
PARIS, June 10 (Reuters) - Pressure will be immense on Sunday when Novak Djokovic faces Casper Ruud in the French Open final with a record-breaking 23rd men's Grand Slam title and his position in the pantheon of tennis at stake. In 2021, Djokovic was on the brink of completing a calendar slam -- winning all four majors in the same year -- but was beaten in straight sets in the final in New York by Daniil Medvedev. "You remember the U.S. Open final he had with Medvedev after beating me in the semis still. "I put myself in another really ideal position to win a Grand Slam," said Djokovic, who will also snatch the world number one spot from Spain's Alcaraz if he lifts the Musketeers Cup. With the fickle French Open crowd often backing the underdog, Djokovic might face a few jeers, but he could not care less.
Persons: Novak Djokovic, Casper Ruud, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Djokovic, Philippe Chatrier, Ruud, Daniil Medvedev, Novak, Alexander Zverev, Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz, ", It's, I'm, Julien Pretot, Clare Fallon Organizations: Djokovic, Thomson Locations: Serbian, New York, U.S, Norwegian
"The first set and the second set were really, really intense and I started to cramp in my arm. Djokovic will play in his 34th Grand Slam final, his seventh at Roland Garros where he has lifted the Musketeers' Cup twice, in 2016 and 2021. With Mike Tyson watching from the stands, both players traded punches and Djokovic was on the ropes in the second set, with Alcaraz playing several spectacular shots. "Towards the end of the second set he was the better player. He's going for Grand Slam number 23 and I'm going for my first, so there's a big difference."
Persons: Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev, Alcaraz, Djokovic, It's, Roland Garros, Carlos, ", Mike Tyson, RUUD ROLLS, Ruud, Rafa Nadal, Novak, Julien Pretot, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Djokovic, U.S, cramp, Musketeers, Thomson Locations: Paris
CNN —Novak Djokovic reached the French Open final after defeating an injury-stricken Carlos Alcaraz 6-3 5-7 6-1 6-1 on Friday. The victory puts Djokovic, a two-time champion at Roland-Garros, on the verge of winning a men’s record 23rd grand slam title. “First and foremost, I have to say tough luck for Carlos,” Djokovic said in his on-court interview. I hope he can recover and come back very soon.”Alcaraz receives treatment at the side of the court against Djokovic. The same scenario occurred at 6-5 but this time Alcaraz made no mistake, converting the first of another three set points.
Persons: CNN — Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic, Alcaraz, cramp, Casper Ruud, Dane, Germany’s Alexander Zverev, Carlos, ” Djokovic, ” Alcaraz, Julian Finney, Philippe, Chatrier, , Novak, Rafael Nadal, It’s Organizations: CNN, Roland, , Getty, cramp Locations: raptures, Serbian
The Spaniard has been inspiring fear and dropping jaws at Roland Garros, and his take-no-prisoner approach faces the ultimate test on Friday in his semi-final clash against Novak Djokovic, who at 36 is hanging on to his dream of claiming a record-breaking 23rd men's Grand Slam title. The two-times French Open champion has been his usual metronomic self on the Parisian clay, where his defence system will come under heavy fire against Alcaraz. While excitement will be at its peak for Alcaraz, who won his maiden Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open last year before missing the Australian Open injured, the Spaniard is fully aware of his opponent's resume. "It's going to be his 45th semi-final in a Grand Slam. "I'm happy to be playing the way I'm playing here in Paris.
Persons: Carlos Alcaraz, Roland Garros, Novak Djokovic, Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Lorenzo Musetti, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alcaraz, Philippe Chatrier, Kharen Kachanov, Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev, Nadal, I'm, Julien Pretot, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Alcaraz, U.S, Australian, Thomson Locations: men's, Serbian, Italian, Paris
The twice Roland Garros champion could not find a weakness in the 11th-seeded Khachanov's serve at first, but once he took the second set tiebreak there was no looking back for the Serbian. Djokovic, however, was not completely happy with his performance but knew victory would not come easy. He has a big serve but maybe doesn't move as well so I tried to expose him and played unpredictable. There were no break points in the second set but Khachanov started to struggle and paid for his efforts, failing to score a point in the tiebreak as Djokovic levelled the contest. Djokovic got the early break thanks to a netcord in the third and stole Khachanov's serve again to move one set from victory with apparent ease.
Persons: Novak Djokovic, Karen Khachanov, Roland Garros, Carlos Alcaraz, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Philippe Chatrier, Djokovic, Khachanov, Khachanov's, Julien Pretot, Ken Ferris, Toby Davis Organizations: Serbian, Thomson Locations: Russian, Serbian
"This match is what everyone wanted to watch and it is going to be a really good match to play and to watch," Alcaraz said of Friday's semi-final. Alcaraz did not take long to put Tsitsipas under pressure, breaking him on his second service game. He wrapped up the first set, winning 12 of the last 14 points played, but he was equally relentless in the second to break Tsitsipas in the very first game to love. Tsitsipas launched a four-game comeback but Alcaraz ended it on his fifth match point. But it was pretty tough at the end of the match," Alcaraz said.
Persons: Carlos Alcaraz, Stefanos, Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Friday's, Tsitsipas, Karolos, Toby Davis Organizations: U.S, Serbian, Thomson Locations: Greece
Having skipped two press conferences at Roland Garros after being grilled by the media about her personal stance on the war, Sabalenka finally addressed reporters again. "I don't want my country to be in any conflict, I don't support the war," second seed Sabalenka said. "I don't support war, meaning I don't support (Belarus President) Alexander Lukashenko right now." "I really felt bad not coming here. I felt really disrespected and felt really bad.
Persons: Sabalenka, Ukraine's Elina Svitolina, Czech Karolina Muchova, Roland Garros, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Svitolina, Alexander Lukashenko, I'm, Novak Djokovic, Karen Khachanov, Carlos Alcaraz, Stefanos, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Julien Pretot, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Roland, Thomson Locations: Belarusian, Czech, Russia, Belarus, Paris
CNN CEO Chris Licht has apologized to his staff over a disastrous profile published by The Atlantic on Friday. Three days after The Atlantic published a bombshell profile about him, CNN CEO Chris Licht has apologized to his staff in an editorial call. The Atlantic profile, written by Tim Alberta, described Licht as aloof from staff, in contrast to his well-liked predecessor Jeff Zucker. Puck's Dylan Byers reports Licht told staffers on the call that he will move his office back to the newsroom. Insiders at CNN have also shared their theories on how the article became such an spectacular and ill-timed mess for Licht and CNN.
Persons: Chris Licht, Licht, Brian Stelter, Jake Tapper, Nikki Haley, I've, Tim Alberta, Jeff Zucker, Trump ., Puck's Dylan Byers Organizations: CNN, The Atlantic, Morning, GOP, Trump, CNN's New Locations: Alberta, CNN's, CNN's New York City
On Monday, Russia said Ukrainian forces over the weekend had begun a major offensive in the southern part of the Donetsk region, which it had also thwarted. The latest Russian defence ministry statement said Russian forces had inflicted huge personnel losses on attacking Ukrainian forces and destroyed 28 tanks, including eight Leopard main battle tanks and 109 armoured vehicles. It said total Ukrainian losses amounted to 1,500 troops. Russia and Ukraine have often made claims of inflicting heavy human losses on each other which could not be independently verified. In a promotional video released on Sunday and urging silence in regards to any military actions, Ukraine's defence ministry said: "Plans like silence - the beginning will not be announced."
Persons: Zelenskiy, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Vladimir Putin, Bakhmut, John Kirby, I'm, Dmytro Kuleba, Hanna Maliar, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Reuters bureaux, Lidia Kelly, Ron Popeski, David Brunnstrom, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Defence Ministry, Sunday Ukraine, KYIV, Kremlin, Ukrainian, Reuters, Washington Post, White House, Monday Ukraine, Ukraine's, Staff, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Russia, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Crimean, Kiev, Kyiv, Crimea
CNN —On a sun kissed but windy Parisian afternoon Novak Djokovic broke one of Rafael Nadal’s French Open records as he progressed to the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. A straightforward 6-3 6-2 6-2 win over Peru’s Juan Pablo Varillas on Sunday ensured Djokovic progressed to the last eight at the French Open for a record 17th time, surpassing the absent Rafael Nadal on 16. The win also inched the Serb closer to a men’s record 23rd career grand slam. He was no match for world No.3 Djokovic, however, who will next play Russian Karen Khachanov, the 11th seed. So that’s all.”“A drama-free grand slam, I don’t think it can happen for me,” he added on Wednesday.
Persons: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal’s, Roland Garros, Peru’s Juan Pablo Varillas, Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Nadal, Varillas, Russian Karen Khachanov, ” Djokovic, Hungary’s Márton, , Organizations: CNN, Roland, Locations: Russian, Kosovo, “ Kosovo, Serbia
Russian statement on what it says was a major Ukrainian attack
  + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +1 min
MOSCOW, June 5 (Reuters) - Russia's defence ministry on Monday said Ukraine had launched an attack in the eastern Donetsk region. Below is the full text of the statement. "The enemy's goal was to break through our defenses on the most vulnerable, in its opinion, sector of the front. "The commander of the combined group of troops - the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Army General Gerasimov V.V. Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge, editing by David Ljunggren and Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons: Gerasimov V.V, Guy Faulconbridge, David Ljunggren, Diane Craft Organizations: Armed Forces, Staff of, Russian Federation , Army, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Ukraine, Donetsk, South Donetsk
Djokovic, who is chasing a men's record 23rd Grand Slam to leapfrog Spaniard Rafa Nadal in the injured champion's absence, blazed past Peruvian marathon man Juan Pablo Varillas 6-3 6-2 6-2 in a lopsided last-eight clash. World number one and top seed Alcaraz, another tenacious Spaniard who is backed to take the mantle of 14-times champion Nadal, bulldozed his way to a 6-3 6-2 6-2 win over Italian Lorenzo Musetti. Pavlyuchenkova, who has slipped to world number 333 after being forced to stop playing for five months last year, is the lowest-ranked French Open quarter-finalist in the Open Era. She (Kato) didn't do it on purpose, she (the ball girl) didn't get injured," Juge said. She's crying," Sorribes Tormo said, pointing to the ball girl.
Persons: Roland Garros, Serbia's Novak Djokovic, Peru's Juan Pablo Varillas, Lisi Niesner PARIS, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz inched, Elina Svitolina, Djokovic, Spaniard Rafa Nadal, Juan Pablo Varillas, Nadal, Lorenzo Musetti, Daria Kasatkina, Skai, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Karen Khachanov, Pavlyuchenkova, Czech Barbora Krejcikova, Elise Mertens, Lorenzo Sonego, Khachanov, Miyu Kato, Aldila Sutjiadi, Kato, Alexandre Juge, Czech Marie Bouzkova, Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo, didn't, Juge, Sorribes Tormo, Bouzkova, disqualifying Kato, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Clare Fallon, Pritha Organizations: Peru's Juan Pablo Varillas REUTERS, Russian, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Czech, New York, Melbourne
Rybakina pulls out of French Open due to illness
  + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +2 min
PARIS, June 3 (Reuters) - Fourth seed Elena Rybakina pulled out of the French Open ahead of her third-round meeting with Sara Sorribes Tormo on Saturday due to a viral illness as the Roland Garros tournament lost one of its main contenders for the women's title. Kazakhstan's Rybakina, 23, was among the title favourites alongside holder Iga Swiatek and Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka after winning the Rome title in the build-up to the claycourt Grand Slam. "I'm really upset not be able to play, but I guess that's life," Rybakina added. Moscow-born Rybakina said she hoped to be fully fit for the European grasscourt swing ahead of her Wimbledon title defence. Spain's Sorribes Tormo moves into the fourth round where she will take on 23rd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova or 14th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia.
Persons: Elena Rybakina, Sara Sorribes Tormo, Roland Garros, Sorribes Tormo, Philippe Chatrier, Rybakina, Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, I'm, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Beatriz Haddad Maia, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Ed Osmond Organizations: Wimbledon, Rome, Thomson Locations: Paris, Moscow, Berlin, Eastbourne, Wimbledon
PARIS, June 2 (Reuters) - Aryna Sabalenka swatted aside Kamilla Rakhimova to remind her rivals of her French Open title credentials while Russian 11th seed Karen Khachanov also moved into the fourth round by stopping wildcard Thanasi Kokkinakis on Friday. Sabalenka, the big-serving world number two, beat Russian Rakhimova 6-2 6-2 on a sunbathed Court Philippe Chatrier to set up a clash with American Sloane Stephens or Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan in her quest for a second Grand Slam title. "So I have to do it with my legs, with the brain, and try to squeeze the maximum I can." Last year's semi-finalist Kasatkina will need to show her best form again in the next round where she can potentially meet former world number three Elina Svitolina. Novak Djokovic, who is seeking a 23rd Grand Slam title, is in action against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina while world number one Carlos Alcaraz will play Denis Shapovalov in the evening session.
Persons: Karen Khachanov, Kokkinakis, Sabalenka, Philippe Chatrier, Sloane Stephens, Yulia Putintseva, Khachanov, Jessica Pegula, Elise Mertens, Mertens, Daria Kasatkina, Peyton Stearns, Kasatkina, Elina Svitolina, Anna Blinkova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Anastasia Potapova, Novak Djokovic, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Carlos Alcaraz, Denis Shapovalov, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Pritha Sarkar Organizations: Kokkinakis, Thomson Locations: Kazakhstan, Paris
Djokovic's run to the Australian Open title in January came despite a problematic left thigh injury and he also missed the Madrid Open in the build-up to Roland Garros with a niggling elbow issue. "We don't have much time to start to name the many injuries I have, and the list is quite long," Djokovic told reporters. Sometimes you need pills," Djokovic said. Reality for me nowadays is that my body is responding differently than it did a few years ago. And on the court you try to do your best, everything possible, so you can finish the match and win."
Persons: Roland Garros, Serbia's Novak Djokovic, Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Novak Djokovic, Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Rafa Nadal, Djokovic, Hubert Hurkacz, Juan Pablo Varillas, I've, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Ken Ferris Organizations: Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina REUTERS, Serbian, Madrid, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, PARIS
Sabalenka, Djokovic hoping to steer clear of controversy
  + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Aadi Nair | ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +3 min
Another match featuring political overtones is the clash between Ukraine's Elina Svitolina and Russia's Anna Blinkova. Asked about the message following his straight sets win over Marton Fucsovics on Wednesday, Djokovic told reporters: "It's something that I stand for. Greek fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who reached the final in 2021, will play Diego Schwartzman. British 14th seed Cameron Norrie is in action against 17th seed Lorenzo Musetti, who now leads Italy's charge for a first French Open men's winner since Adriano Panatta in 1976 after Jannik Sinner's elimination on Thursday. Reporting by Aadi Nair in Nashik, India; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons: Roland Garros, Iryna Shymanovich, Benoit Tessier, Sabalenka, Novak Djokovic, Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk, Ukraine's Elina Svitolina, Anna Blinkova, Svitolina, Djokovic, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Aleksandar Kovacevic, Marton Fucsovics, Davidovich Fokina, Monte, Monte Carlo Masters, Carlos Alcaraz, Denis Shapovalov, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Diego Schwartzman, Cameron Norrie, Lorenzo Musetti, Adriano Panatta, Jannik, Aadi Nair, Ken Ferris Organizations: Belarus, Iryna Shymanovich REUTERS, Strasbourg, NATO, Marton, Monte Carlo, U.S, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Belarus, Ukraine, Belarusian, Kosovo, Serbia, Belgrade, Zvecan, Spanish, Barcelona, British, Nashik, India
CNN —Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic has stood by his decision to send a political message about Kosovo at the French Open. After his first-round victory on Monday, Djokovic wrote “Kosovo is the [heart symbol] of Serbia. So that’s all.”He added that he had not spoken to French Open tournament director Amélie Mauresmo about the incident. Djokovic is no stranger to controversy at grand slam tournaments. “A drama-free grand slam, I don’t think it can happen for me,” he said on Wednesday.
Persons: Novak Djokovic, Djokovic, Serbia ”, ” Djokovic, Hungary’s Márton, Amélie Mauresmo, , Srdjan, didn’t, , Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Rafael Nadal Organizations: CNN, , NATO, Serbian, Olympic, KOC, International Olympic Committee, Tennis Federation, ITF, IOC, Olympic Games, Covid Locations: Serbian, Kosovo, “ Kosovo, Serbia, Zvecan, Melbourne
The violence erupted after ethnic Albanian mayors took office in northern Kosovo's Serb-majority area following elections that were boycotted by the Serbs. "Novak Djokovic has yet again promoted the Serbian nationalists' propaganda and used the sport platform to do so," Ismet Krasniqi, president of Kosovo's Olympic Committee (KOK), said in a statement. France's Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera, whose country will host the summer Olympics in Paris next year, said Djokovic's message was "not appropriate, clearly". Djokovic, chasing a record 23rd Grand Slam title, has said he was not holding back and would do it again. On Tuesday, Kosovo's tennis federation said Djokovic's comments were "regrettable", accusing him of using his status as a well-known personality to stir tensions.
Persons: Roland Garros, Serbia's Novak Djokovic, Aleksandar Kovacevic, Novak Djokovic, Djokovic, Ismet Krasniqi, Amelie Oudea, shouldn't, Hungary's Marton Fucsovics, Rohith Nair, Karolos Grohmann, Julien Pretot, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Helen Popper, Christian Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Kosovo Olympic, International Olympic Committee, NATO, Serbs, Kosovo's Olympic, IOC, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, PARIS, Serbian, Kosovo, Serbia, Zvecan, Kosovo's, Bengaluru, Karolos
[1/2] Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 31, 2023 Serbia's Novak Djokovic in action during his second round match against Hungary's Marton Fucsovics REUTERS/Kai PfaffenbachPARIS, May 31 (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic briefly struggled before bulldozing past Hungarian journeyman Marton Fucsovics 7-6(2) 6-0 6-3 on Wednesday to reach the French Open third round. I hope you had fun tonight especially in the first set - me, a bit less," Djokovic said on court. Djokovic raced into a 3-0 lead before his opponent found his rhythm to set up three break points at 4-2. Djokovic broke his opponent's serve in the opening game of the second set and he did not look back, cruising to victory despite being broken twice more. "Drama-free Grand Slam, I don't think it can happen for me.
Persons: Roland Garros, Serbia's Novak Djokovic, Hungary's Marton Fucsovics, Kai Pfaffenbach PARIS, Novak Djokovic, Marton Fucsovics, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Djokovic, Philippe Chatrier, Fucsovics, Julien Pretot, Toby Davis, Ed Osmond Organizations: Hungary's Marton Fucsovics REUTERS, Musketeers, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Kosovo, Serbia, Spanish, Serbian, Ukraine
CNN —Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic left a political message on a TV camera lens at the French Open on Monday in response to violent clashes in Kosovo. Following his first-round victory against American Aleksandar Kovacevic, Djokovic wrote “Kosovo is the [heart] of Serbia. Stop the violence” in Serbian on a camera lens, using a heart symbol. I don’t know what will happen.”Djokovic leaves his message on the camera lens after his first-round victory at Roland-Garros. Djokovic is aiming to win his 23rd grand slam title at the French Open, which would move him clear of Rafael Nadal at the top of the men’s all-time list.
The twice Roland Garros champion breezed through the first two sets before encountering resistance from the 24-year-old American whose lack of experience then showed in the tiebreak on the world's biggest clay court. Djokovic ended the contest with a sizzling service return on his first match point and will face Hungarian journeyman Marton Fucsovics for a place in the third round. "It's always a pleasure to come back here, one of the best tournaments in the world," said Djokovic, who made his Roland Garros debut in 2005. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova celebrated her return to Roland Garros with a dominant win over Czech Linda Fruhvirtova after fearing for her career a year ago due to a knee problem. Sloane Stephens, runner-up at Roland Garros in 2018, dismantled former world number one Karolina Pliskova 6-0 6-4.
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