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“I am Coming For You”: Joao Sousa and Fabio Fognini Give Stretching Challenge to Novak Djokovic

Published 08/04/2021, 4:07 AM EDT

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Novak Djokovic has been issued a challenge completely unrelated to tennis. Joao Sousa has indirectly challenged the Serb for a split competition through his Instagram story. The story goes back to Nole’s split with the Belgian gymnasts at the Tokyo Olympics. Fabio Fognini too posted a story challenging the Serb.

Sousa, Fognini, and Djokovic ended their Olympic campaign without a medal. However, they gave the fans a memory to cherish. Djokovic’s next stop will be the US Open later this month.

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Novak Djokovic stretching his legs at the Olympic Village in Tokyo

At the beginning of the Olympic Games, Novak Djokovic shared an Instagram post with the world. He was stretching with the Belgian gymnastics team, alongside Nina Derwael and Maellyse Brassart. He aced the split as he struck a pose for the camera. Nina had posted the picture before Djokovic drew the idea from her to do the same.

Joao Sousa has thought of doing something similar with his abilities. The Portuguese has almost mastered the split and posted the picture on his Instagram story. He wrote, “I’m coming for you @djokernole” as the caption on his story. Fabio Fognini, too, posted a story asking Djokovic to stretch with him whenever he wanted to. He also joked that he would give a few tips to the World No.1.

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Joao and Djokovic’s Olympic run

Djokovic made it to the semifinal round at the Tokyo Olympics; however, Joao could not replicate the same performance. The Portuguese lost in the first round itself, against Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic. He went down fighting in a close battle as the scoreline stood at 7-6, 4-6, 4-6. Meanwhile, Fabio lost to Daniil Medvedev in the third round, 2-6, 6-3, 2-6. The Italian’s performance was much better than Sousa’s run at the tournament.

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On the other hand, Djokovic reached the semifinals of the tournament with great ease. However, it was not the ideal finish he was looking for towards the end of his campaign. Based on his standards, he wanted to win the gold and look towards completing a Golden Slam this year. However, a loss against Alexander Zverev in the semis and a blow against Pablo Carreno Busta in the bronze medal match left the Serb without a medal.

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via Reuters

Novak Djokovic will be wanting to leave his Olympic loss behind him and focus on the next challenge. In order to complete the Calendar Slam, he needs to win the US Open later this month. However, he faces tough challenges from his rivals and will not have an easy run in New York.

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Written by:

Suchit Halder

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Suchit Halder is a Tennis writer at EssentiallySports. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Management Studies from St Xavier's College, Mumbai. With a keen interest in writing and sports, Suchit has previously worked as a content writer at Football Counter and worked with the content team for Delhi Capitals during IPL 2021.
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