'Furious' Djokovic's icy staredown after Brit's act

1 year ago 82

Novak Djokovic was successful bid from the commencement and ne'er truly fto up successful a 6-3, 6-4 triumph implicit 13th-seeded Cameron Norrie connected Tuesday nighttime AEST to scope the Italian Open quarter-finals for the 17th consecutive year.

Aiming for his seventh rubric connected the reddish clay of the Foro Italico, Djokovic had his full crippled clicking aft struggling astatine times successful the erstwhile rounds.

On an overcast time aft it had rained each morning, Djokovic appeared focused from the start.

“I really finished my warm-up 10 minutes earlier I went connected the court. So I was rushing a spot with everything but we couldn’t (warm up) earlier due to the fact that of the rain," Djokovic said. "So I’m conscionable gladsome to flooded today’s situation successful consecutive sets and determination on.”

An overhead smash from Norrie deed Djokovic successful the backmost of the leg, leaving the reigning Aus Open champ fuming (Tennis TV)

Also, Djokovic was seen successful the trainer’s country earlier the match. He precocious took 3 weeks disconnected due to the fact that of a lingering contented with his surgically repaired close elbow.

“Every time is something,” the 35-year-old Djokovic said, without specifying what was bothering him. “But thankfully I was capable to play and decorativeness the match, truthful hopefully time it volition consciousness a spot better.”

Early successful the 2nd acceptable aft the players traded breaks to marque it 2-2, Djokovic appeared furious with Norrie.

Djokovic had already turned with his backmost to the nett successful the centre of the tribunal to concede a interruption constituent erstwhile Norrie’s overhead smash deed him successful the body. Djokovic past turned astir and glared astatine Norrie, who had already raised his manus to apologise.

Djokovic hardly looked astatine Norrie erstwhile the 2 shared a customary post-match handshake astatine the nett (Tennis TV)

Then aft Djokovic broke for a 5-4 pb successful the 2nd and was preparing to service retired the match, Norrie asked for a aesculapian timeout and had his broadside treated connected tribunal by a trainer.

Djokovic committed little fractional arsenic galore unforced errors arsenic Norrie, 14-29; and had 2 much winners, 21-19.

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Norrie won a rubric connected clay successful Rio de Janeiro earlier this year, beating Carlos Alcaraz successful the final.

Djokovic volition suffer the No.1 ranking to Alcaraz aft this tourney — adjacent though Alcaraz was beaten by 135th-ranked Hungarian qualifier Fabian Marozsan successful the 3rd round.

Alcaraz volition truthful beryllium seeded No.1 and Djokovic volition beryllium No.2 astatine Roland-Garros, which starts successful 12 days.

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