Djokovic excited to sample Ryder Cup atmosphere first hand
Novak Djokovic was seemingly shocked to be shown on screen watching the Rugby World Cup final alongside singer Rita Ora. The Serb took in South Africa’s narrow win over New Zealand while he prepares to return to the tennis court for the first time in almost two months at the Paris Masters.
It certainly wasn’t a pairing many expected to see when Djokovic’s face popped up alongside the popstar’s on Stade de France’s big screen. While Rita Ora reacted excitedly, the 24-time Grand Slam champion appeared almost terrified.
The duo were filmed deep in conversation during the first half of the match between South Africa and New Zealand, which the Springboks won 12-11 to notch a record-breaking fourth World Cup triumph.
Writing on X, @Piri_1297 jokingly posted: “Is he gonna be in trouble?” But another clip showed Rita Ora flanked by Djokovic on one side and her husband on the other to dispel any such suggestions.
Click here to join our WhatsApp community to be the first to receive breaking and exclusive tennis news.
Don’t miss… Novak Djokovic savages tennis rival after ‘I’m coming for you’ threat
The tennis star recently arrived in France to step up his preparation for the Paris Masters. The tournament will give Djokovic another chance to end the year as world No 1.
He goes in 500 points ahead of rival Carlos Alcaraz and surely brimming with confidence, having won the hard-count event on six prior occasions.
- Advert-free experience without interruptions.
- Rocket-fast speedy loading pages.
- Exclusive & Unlimited access to all our content.
Djokovic has been out of competitive action since beating Daniil Medvedev in the US Open final last month. The Grand Slam triumph took him further ahead of Rafael Nadal at the top of the all-time charts, and he will hope to build a three-title lead at the Australian Open early next year.
“When you look at players, most of them do a few things really well but they’ve also got holes that you can exploit or they’ve got days where they don’t mentally have the resolve,” former tennis star Wally Masur told Yahoo Sports Australia. “But Novak seems to be in control of everything.
“He’s always had an amazing backhand, but his forehand is now world-class because he’s worked on it. He’s had troubles in the past with his serve, but he’s nailed it down. Physically, he’s got himself to an awesome level of speed, agility and endurance.
“And then he’s got this mindset where the more you push him and the harder you poke him, the better he gets. He’s got this siege mentality where he doesn’t care what the odds are against him or what the narrative is because he’s so complete on every surface.”
Source: Read Full Article