{"id":296580,"date":"2023-11-05T08:54:48","date_gmt":"2023-11-05T08:54:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allmysportsnews.com\/?p=296580"},"modified":"2023-11-05T08:54:48","modified_gmt":"2023-11-05T08:54:48","slug":"paris-masters-live-star-refuses-to-play-novak-djokovic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allmysportsnews.com\/tennis\/paris-masters-live-star-refuses-to-play-novak-djokovic\/","title":{"rendered":"Paris Masters LIVE: Star refuses to play Novak Djokovic"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

After a frantic week of contentious decisions, episodes of crowd booing and athlete outbursts, the final of the Paris Masters is finally upon us.<\/p>\n

The hotly contested tournament in the French captial has not passed by without event, and now tennis icon Novak Djokovic will battle for the crown against the unseeded\u00a0Grigor Dimitrov.<\/p>\n

Djokovic booked his place in the last two following an arduous victory over Andrey Rublev, during which medics were called onto the court when it appeared the Serbian ace could no longer go on.<\/p>\n

Rublev was gracious in defeat as he took time out for some fans just minutes after losing to\u00a0Novak Djokovic\u00a0on a double fault. The pair met in the second semi-final at the Rolex Paris Masters with the match going down to the wire as the top seed just\u00a0edged out the 26-year-old 5-7 7-6(3) 7-5.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Djokovic himself\u00a0later said that he had “never faced Rublev playing so well”\u00a0and it seemed that the 14-time title winner agreed as he reflected on his week in Bercy. “I feel like, I don\u2019t know, it\u2019s been a great week,” Rublev said just minutes after walking off court.<\/p>\n

“I was playing really great level, I was controlling really good emotions so looks like I\u2019m moving in the right direction and the most important thing is to just keep going this way.”<\/p>\n

Rublev refuses to play Djokovic<\/h3>\n

Andrey\u00a0Rublev put on one of his most impressive mental performances as he went toe-to-toe with Djokovic for three hours on Saturday evening.<\/p>\n

The world No 5 was just three points from victory on a couple of occasions in the second set but just lost out when he hit a double fault while serving to stay in the match.<\/p>\n

Speaking graciously in defeat, Rublev surprised audience members when he said he would not be playing Djokovic again.<\/p>\n

Good morning one and all<\/h3>\n

Welcome to the French capital, where today Novak Djokovic is bidding to add yet another jewel to his glistening tennis crown.<\/p>\n

Express Sport will bring you live updates all day, around the clock.<\/p>\n

Tennis reporter Yasmin Syed is on the ground at the Rolex Paris Masters, bringing all the insight, gossip and bits you rarely get to see or hear about.<\/p>\n

Stay tuned.<\/p>\n