Come on, just a little longer. Higher…
Novak Djokovic’s special relationship with the Paris Tribune is experiencing the umpteenth episode this Sunday as the Serb scores a good point – 4-2 in the first set – and starts gesturing. The Chatrier booths, always wanting to march, start whistling and Nole gets into an argument asking the decent ones to turn up the decibels because it sounds like music to their ears and with every whistle her desire to do that Roland Garros grows conquer point. He doesn’t go in the wrong direction: 6-3, 6-2 and 6-2 against Juan Pablo Varillas in 1 hour and 57 minutes. That means he’ll march through the quarterfinals one more time, and there are already 17; Nobody, not even Rafael Nadal himself, 16, has done it on so many occasions; Neither does Roger Federer, 12.
The Swiss watch the tournament on TV, Nadal does it out of the corner of his eye from the stretcher – five months after going through the workshop, psoas and hips – and he continues with discount boxes in the French arena, where the sweet strip of the tournament . Without being completely fine and playing “cat and mouse” with the crowd again, Djokovic is already flying past the penultimate round where he will meet Karen Khachanov. The Russian, ranked eleventh in the world, catches up with Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego (1-6, 6-4, 7-6(7) and 6-1) but, noticing the arrival of the Balkans, suffers from cold sweats , since the Stats reflecting a single win in nine games against him; It’s far away, in 2018, and it was right in Paris. Naturally indoors and hard, Bercy.
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They’re leaning against the ramps, trouble is brewing, and it’s no coincidence that Nole’s tone is rising and his game gaining momentum against an opponent who thinks the finished layout is more than good. Peruvian Varillas, 27 and his country’s first representative in the round of 16 since Jaim Yzaga reached the height in 1994, struggles and receives little reward. He crashes into the wall. He had surpassed the previous three scales in five sets, but he inevitably fell into the spider’s web spun by the Belgrade man. The moment of truth draws near and Nole is magnified. He’s three wins away from his 23rd major and suggests his punches are beginning to hurt.
“I really enjoyed it, it was my best performance. I am very happy and very motivated to continue,” Marion Bartoli replies in an interview. “17 performances in the rooms? That means I’m getting old…” he jokes in French as the Parisian crowd order and cheer him on. I said odd relationship; Paris and Djokovic, neither with you nor without you. “I felt great energy and this win comes at the perfect time. It’s going to be difficult, but I like the way I’m playing. I’m better than I’ve been in the last few months. The last ten days are the best I have experienced in Australia [donde ganó]. I have to keep going and not think too far, but I’m on the right track,” he added in a chat with Mats Wilander on Eurosport.
Despite his stratospheric sprint records, Djokovic continues to demonstrate his off-road competitiveness. He has 89 wins in the tournament – only Nadal leads with 112 – and is targeting his third summit at Roland Garros, where he landed with a lowered speech and the worst assist numbers of his career. Despite the inactivity to Australia – he didn’t take part in the North American tour because he refused to be vaccinated against the Covid – and despite all the circumstances, despite the feeling of getting older and missing Nadal, the pain, under which he also says to suffer, is Nole it is already there, secretly, like the predator behind the bush. When he raises the musketeer’s cup on the 11th, he will take on thoroughbred earthlings like Kürten, Wilander or Lendl. In Paris, the big bat eater is gradually awakening.
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