Reuters
Tennis – French Open – Roland Garros, Paris, France – June 1, 2022 Serbia’s Novak Djokovic reacts during his quarter final match against Spain’s Rafael Nadal REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
Reuters
Tennis – French Open – Roland Garros, Paris, France – June 1, 2022 Serbia’s Novak Djokovic reacts during his quarter final match against Spain’s Rafael Nadal REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
Novak Djokovic entered the French Open 2022 brimming with confidence after clinching the Rome Masters title. It was his maiden title this season, coming just at the right time ahead of his Roland Garros title defense.
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However, things didn’t go according to his plans in Paris. He bowed out of the tournament in the quarter-finals, losing against the ‘King of Clay’, Rafael Nadal. Further, it was a mouth-watering contest between the two long-term rivals.
In the end, the Spaniard dug deep to avenge last year’s semifinal defeat against Djokovic at the French Open. Following his early exit, Djokovic is set to receive a major blow to his ATP ranking.
Novak Djokovic set to lose the Number 1 ranking
The Serb was due to defend 2000 ranking points that he had won last year owing to his title victory. However, with his quarter-final exit, he’ll earn only 360 ranking points from the tournament this season. As a result, Djokovic will lose a major chunk of the points he won last season.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion is set to lose the top spot in the ATP rankings when they will be updated post the French Open. One among Daniil Medvedev or Alexander Zverev is set to rise to the top, depending upon the latter’s result at the French Open 2022. Regardless of Zverev’s result, Djokovic will move to the third spot in the ATP rankings.
USA Today via Reuters
Sep 12, 2021; Flushing, NY, USA; Novak Djokovic of Serbia speaks to the crowd during the trophy presentation ceremony after his match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia (not pictured) in the men’s singles final on day fourteen of the 2021 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
Djokovic on the crowd being on Nadal’s side during his defeat
The spectators were quite vocal during the Serb’s quarterfinal match against Nadal. Talking about this, Djokovic said, “I think the crowd contributed a lot to the turnaround in the fourth set. They were 99.9% by his side and they have lifted him up in crucial moments. They helped him to find his energy.”
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Nonetheless, Djokovic will aim to come back strongly in the upcoming grass-court season. Meanwhile, Nadal will take on Alexander Zverev in the French Open 2022 semi-finals.
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Edited by
Veer Badani