Novak Djokovic says he will 'keep going' after US Open win
Novak Djokovic sent a savage response back to Italian rival Matteo Arnaldi after the 22-year-old joked that he was “coming for” the Serbian superstar. An image of Arnaldi attempting to return a shot while doing the splits made the rounds on social media earlier this week and the world No 46 took the opportunity to use his viral moment to call out Djokovic.
Arnaldi reposted a 50/50 picture of him and Spider-Man doing the splits to his Instagram story and left a playful note for the 24-time Grand Slam winner, who is known for his in-game gymnastics. “@djokernole I’m coming for you,” he wrote below the Tennis Channel post, captioned: “Tell us he’s not Spider-Man.”
Djokovic then returned fire with a brutal comeback. “First, you need to be facing the net and not the wall. Then we can talk,” he wrote back. Arnaldi has never played Djokovic before but he did get an opportunity to train with his idol at the 2022 Italian Open.
Speaking about his experience, he said: “Novak has always been my idol and that’s why I entered the field a bit tense. It was an incredible feeling to be able to trade with the No 1 in the world.
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“Technically I found him extremely clean compared to the others I have played with up to now. His ball is very flat and you have a hard time playing with it, even on clay. It takes away your time, you can’t do anything you have in mind.”
Arnaldi has always looked up to his elder statesman and previously branded himself the “little Novak Djokovic” during an interview with Italian newspaper Il Messaggero. “Given the due proportions, there are some similarities: I too would define myself as a counter-attacker and I have always done the splits,” he said when asked why he had given himself the nickname.
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Arnaldi made his ATP main draw debut in Rome last year after receiving a wild card pick for both the singles and doubles brackets. He went on to win his first Challenger title a few days later at the 2022 Internazionali di Tennis d’Abruzzo and would qualify for three of the four Grand Slams in 2023 (French Open R2, Wimbledon R1, US Open R4).
In his most recent tournament appearance, he came through early adversity to beat Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the first round of the Vienna Open to win in straight sets, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2). However, he was dumped out of the competition three days later by Andrey Rublev in the round of 16.
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