Novak Djokovic, born 1987, world No. 1 – Photo Getty Images
Tonight, at the Masters 1000 in Paris-Bercy, Novak Djokovic will reach a historic milestone. When he takes to Center Court to face Argentina’s Tomás Martín Etcheverry, his official matches will reach the impressive number 1,289. Regardless of the outcome of the match, Djokovic becomes the fourth men’s player with the most games played in tennis history, overtaking Rafael Nadal. Only Ivan Lendl, Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors are ahead, but with a clear gap.
Meanwhile, after a long absence from the field, Reilly Opelka has celebrated its long-awaited return. After 15 months of rehabilitation from hip surgery, Opelka won his match at the Charlottesville Challenger against Tennys Sandgren 6-4, 7-5. At 26 years old and currently unranked, they are waiting to see what the American’s condition will be in the next games.
The favorite at the Rolex Paris Masters 2023 Carlos Alcaraz He lost on his debut Roman Safiullin. The Russian, currently 45th in the world rankings, surprised many with his victory. He is the third player, alongside Fabian Marozsan and Jannik Sinner, to beat Alcaraz in straight sets this year.
Aside from that, Gael Monfils He explicitly expressed his disappointment after being eliminated in the first round of the 2023 Rolex Paris Masters by Francisco Cerúndolo despite having a match point in his favor. Monfils admitted that he needs to improve many aspects of his game.
At the end, Alexander Zverev was at the center of a controversy. As The Guardian reports, a German court has fined Zverev €450,000 for allegedly inflicting injuries on his ex-girlfriend. The accusation goes back to an incident in Berlin in May 2020. However, Zverev has denied these allegations and it is expected that the matter could end up in court. In fact, the German tennis player resisted this sanction, which is why he is likely to face a public trial.
Marco Rossi
