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Novak Djokovic embraces pantomime villain act with blockbuster Alcaraz showdown looming
Novak Djokovic embraces pantomime villain act with blockbuster Alcaraz showdown looming
Novak Djokovic baited the Roland Garros crowd again on Sunday, as he eased into the last 16. But this time, by contrast with his ill-tempered showing in the previous round, he did it with a sense of humor.
Djokovic was briefly booed by the fans during the first set of his comfortable 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win over Peru’s Juan Pablo Varillas. The barracking came as he was beaten by a flashing backhand winner and he responded by holding out his arms towards his support team in a gesture of exasperation.
But the mood of these notoriously mercurial Parisian spectators would turn on a sixpence, with the jeers suddenly becoming cheers.
Just two points later, Djokovic pulled off one of the feats of escapology that he is famous for, chipping back a series of Varillas attacks until his opponent yielded. Now he held his hand up to his ear, before waving at the crowd as if to say – Delia Smith-style – “Let’s be ‘avin you!
To be clear, he was very much in pantomime-villain mode and wore a broad grin rather than the glare we had seen on Friday.
Speaking to reporters afterward, Djokovic played down his previous criticisms of the local spectators, and described the crowd – which chanted his name during his on-court interview – as “great”.
“I didn’t say [on Friday] that the crowd is disrespectful, that’s not true,” explained Djokovic, whose complaints after his previous win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina had instead been aimed at certain individuals “who love to boo every single thing you do”.
Novak Djokovic embraces pantomime villain act
“[Today] I thought they were great, especially in the end. They gave me a very nice chanting and support. As a player, you always want to receive that love from the crowd.”
Varillas is a total newbie at this level, having only played in the main draws of two previous slams and losing in the first round both times. As such, he was a much more comfortable opponent for Djokovic than Davidovich Fokina, which probably explains the difference in Djokovic’s demeanor.
On Friday, Djokovic had roared aggressively at the fans on seizing the key second set – a response he later justified because “99 percent of the time I will stay quiet [but] sometimes I will oppose that because I feel when somebody is disrespectful, he or she deserves to have an answer.”
This time, Djokovic needed only 1hr 57min to overcome Varillas, maintaining his perfect record of dropping no sets in the tournament. His reward was a 17th visit to the French Open quarter-finals, which – amazingly – is one more than the “King of Clay” Rafael Nadal has managed.
This result also left Djokovic tantalizingly close to a first best-of-five-set meeting with Carlos Alcaraz, the man he has been exchanging the world No1 ranking with for the past nine months.
This would be a big moment for the sport because the two biggest beasts of the men’s tour (at least, since Nadal began his injury-related decline) have never actually faced each other during that time. Indeed, they have only ever shared a match court on one occasion. That came in Madrid 14 months ago and delivered a close and thrilling victory for Alcaraz.
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As it happens, Alcaraz won through on Sunday by the same scoreline as Djokovic – the only difference being that he was facing an opponent with a real pedigree on this surface. Lorenzo Musetti, the 17th seed from Italy, might have despatched British No1 Cameron Norrie in ruthless style on Friday, but he was completely outclassed by Alcaraz in 2hr 8min.
Now both these heavy hitters need to come through their quarter-finals to set up that dream match on Friday. All the evidence suggests that it will decide the eventual champion, as the early exits of Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner have left the bottom half of this draw looking short on clout.
Djokovic was asked on Sunday whether he ever looks beyond his next opponent – in this case, the burly Russian Karen Khachanov – to a match further down the line. “You always follow the top guys in your half or whatever,” he replied. “Of course, you’re looking, you’re analyzing everyone’s game.”
So far, statistics suggest that Djokovic and Alcaraz stand well clear of the pack. After four rounds, they are respectively winning 46 and 54 percent of their opponent’s service games – both of which are outrageously high figures for the men’s tour.
The only other man lighting up the leaderboards after week one is an unexpected name: Chile’s Nicolas Jarry, who is due to play last year’s runner-up Casper Ruud on Monday. Having played three rounds, the 6ft 6in Jarry has dropped serve only three times – an intriguing anomaly at an event where most male players are broken at least once per set.
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H. Marko lashes out at Steiner: Defend Mick Schumacher
Helmut Marko believes Mick Schumacher deserves a return to Formula 1, naming two teams he thinks would consider the son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher. The 81-year-old Austrian lashes out at Guenther Steiner, who sacked the German at Haas F1 just under two years ago.
“Mick is one of the politest and nicest people in the whole paddock, which is a disadvantage for him. He also has the handicap of a big name,” Marko said in an interview with Sport1.de. “In sporting terms, he has already achieved a lot. He won the Formula 3 championship, he won the Formula 2 championship, that alone made him interesting for Formula 1 teams.”
Schumacher made his Formula 1 debut at Haas F1 in 2021. There, he lasted two seasons. After a disappointing season in 2022, Guenther Steiner showed him the door and they opted for more experience with Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen.
Marko: ‘Netflix superstar’ Steiner treated Schumacher unfairly
“As far as we were concerned, there were no sporting reasons why we never got together,” Red Bull Racing’s team advisor explained. “He was a Ferrari junior at the time, but Mercedes took him into the team [afterwards]. So he wasn’t even on the market.”
“At Haas, he was not treated fairly by Netflix superstar Guenther Steiner. That’s a fact. Once you drive outside Formula 1, it becomes a difficult story. But behind the scenes, you only hear good things about him. Toto Wolff praises him to the skies. I think Alpine and Audi are seriously considering him. I wouldn’t begrudge him, because he deserves it,” Marko said.
Verstappen and Hamilton CRASH as FIA take action in Hungary
Max Verstappen was involved in a dramatic collision with Lewis Hamilton for P3 at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The Dutchman attempted an overtake on his rival into Turn 1, going though the inside but locking up as Hamilton’s front right collided with Verstappen’s rear left.
In dramatic fashion the Red Bull was launched into the air, and was lucky to remain in the race, falling behind the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc.
Verstappen has been placed under investigation by the stewards, with the FIA calling a 4.50pm UK time summons, where the sport’s governing body confirmed their findings.
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Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton crash in Hungary
A nightmare Hungarian GP for Max Verstappen
It was a difficult race for the champion who went wide on the opening lap, and was forced to give the position back to Lando Norris after claiming P2.
The Red Bull star accused the Brit of running him wide, and continued to deliver a series of furious radio messages to his team during the grand prix.
Verstappen’s frustrations came to the fore as he attempted to overtake Hamilton, with the pair lucky to not be embroiled in more devastating contact.
In the end Hamilton claimed P3 and a podium in Hungary, with Verstappen languishing back in fifth.
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“It’s going to be emotional for me” – Chase Briscoe on honoring Tony Stewart’s legacy
Chase Briscoe, in a recent media session, shared his emotions about racing on the oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Briscoe will be driving the No. 14 car, a number famously associated with his current team owner, Tony Stewart.
Stewart won several races and the 2011 championship with this car. He also co-owns NASCAR team Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), which will be shutting down after this season.
NASCAR first raced at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in 1994, which was the first race there besides the Indianapolis 500 in 1916. Since then, many different racing series have raced at IMS. As the NASCAR Cup Series returns to the Brickyard 400 after three years off, Chase Briscoe, who grew up in Mitchell, Indiana, faces an emotional weekend.
“It’s going to be emotional for me, I mean full transparency I cry every year just on the ride around deal so with it being on the oval and doing it in the 14 all that it’s going to be definitely, probably emotional,” said Briscoe.
“It’s really special to be back here at home in Indiana. Every race car driver dreams of racing at Indianapolis, but for me, it’s even more special because I grew up here,” he added.
Chase Briscoe eyes playoff spot and #14 legacy
A win this weekend will help Chase Briscoe secure a spot in the 2024 Cup playoffs. It would also be a fitting end to SHR’s legacy at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Briscoe has raced at the Brickyard before, twice in the Xfinity Series and won on the road course layout in 2020.
“I didn’t know if I’d ever get a chance to race on the oval. So being able to do it this year means a lot to me,” Briscoe stated.
The #14 car has a special place in NASCAR history. After Stewart retired in 2016, Clint Bowyer took over and won two races in 2018. Chase Briscoe then drove the #14 in 2021 and earned his first win in 2022. Other notable racers like Fonty Flock, Hershel McGriff, and A.J. Foyt, also drove this famed car.
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