Novak Djokovic reveals toilet troubles as Serb’s new nearest rival announced
Halep given four-year ban from tennis over doping offences
Novak Djokovic narrowly avoided defeat against Tallon Griekspoor to book his spot in the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters, though it wasn’t a pleasant evening for the Serbian. The world No 1 called a doctor to the court after the first set, with the source of his troubles now revealed.
Djokovic’s 4-6 7-6 6-4 victory over Griekspoor means that he will face Holger Rune today, and the 36-year-old will need to improve if he is to get the better of the Dane. Rune has impressed in his last two performances, comfortably seeing off Dominic Thiem and Daniel Altmaier with very little fuss.
Djokovic is still a firm favourite to win the competition, though some of his rivals are finding strong form in France. Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Hubert Hurkacz will all be hopeful of stealing the show in Paris, and it remains to be seen how the trio fare on Thursday.
Jannik Skinner would have hoped to have also had a fighting chance of winning the competition too, prior to his fatigue-related withdrawal. The Italian has been named as Djokovic’s nearest rival by former ATP star Filippo Volandri in an eye-catching statement.
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Djokovic reveals he has been struggling with illness
Following his victory on Thursday, Novak Djokovic revealed that he has been struggling with toilet troubles this week and cited the illness as the reason why he hasn’t looked his best in France.
The Serbian explained: “Honestly, I’ve been spending more time in the toilet than on the tennis court for several days now. I’m dealing with stomach problems and I’m not quite feeling myself.
“I went out with the idea of maintaining my serve as best I could and getting to the point. tiebreak. I managed to do it in the second set, where I raised my level in sudden death, and then I started to feel better in the third set. I am very happy to have overcome this challenge.”
Djokovic’s nearest rival named
Former ATP star Filippo Volandri believes that Novak Djokovic is the only player on tour who can say that they are better than Jannik Sinner.
Sinner would have been on course to face Djokovic in the Paris Masters final before he withdrew from the tournament due to fatigue. Carlos Alcaraz has been Djokovic’s strongest competitor this year, but Volandri believes Djokovic is the only player superior to Sinner on current form.
He told Sky Sports: “Because he’s [Djokovic] so experienced that he can handle any kind of situation. Jannik is building certainty, the result of results and a different physique from last year. Progress in all the fundamentals. You noticed him on serve, especially when he found himself handling the important points.”
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