Top seed Novak Djokovic has eased into the second week of the French Open after coming through a straightforward third round encounter which was marred by a controversial decision concerning the roof of Court Philippe-Chatrier.
The world No.1 breezed his way to a 6-0, 6-3, 6-2, win over Colombian lucky loser Daniel Elahi Galán who had never played a top 10 player in his career until the showdown. Djokovic’s comprehensive victory saw him fire 38 winners en route to recording his 71st victory at Roland Garros which moved him to second on the all-time list ahead of Roger Federer (70).
Djokovic took to the court as the rain continued to fall in Paris on what was a typical autumn day. Although as the match progressed the rain intensified to such an extent that the Serbian halted play and headed to his chair. Officials at Roland Garros initially decided to shut the roof whilst the match was going on which resulted in one half of the court getting very wet and slippery. During one exchange Galan slipped at the baseline in what could have resulted in serious injury. Prompting a concerned Djokovic to first check to see if his opponent was ok before calling for a halt in proceedings. To which the umpire agreed.
“I spoke with the supervisor prior to the match and one of my questions was after seeing what the sky looked like and having the first drop of rain, why did we not close the roof at the beginning?” Djokovic said during his press conference.
“When it (the match) started the chair umpire thought it was playable. I understand if you don’t have a roof but this is exactly the reason why they have built a roof so why not use it?“
Even though the court was now saturated with water, officials decided to cover half the court whilst the roof was being closed. Much to the confusion of Djokovic and other onlookers. Then a further delay occurred with tournament staff placing new clay onto the surface to make it less slippery with Djokovic at one point helping out.
“I thought we lost a bit of time that affected our match and the match after,” said Djokovic.
‘It was the wrong decision, in my opinion, not to close the roof right away.”
Besides the drama, it had little impact on the 33-year-old and his stronghold in the match as he raced towards victory. Although he did illustrate outbursts of frustration at times which is a common trait for a player who strikes for perfection on the court when he plays. He enters the fourth round of the French Open losing just 15 games in three matches.
Next up for Djokovic will be a showdown against Russia’s Karen Khachanov. Khachanov defeated Christian Garin 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, to reach the last 16 at Paris for the fourth consecutive year. He has won more matches at the event than any other Grand Slam in his career.
“I think the most important thing for me to stay steady, to believe in myself, to believe in the game and what I’m playing,” the world No.16 said ahead of playing Djokovic. “At the end of the day I need to enjoy it. I’m looking forward to a good match.”
Djokovic leads Khachanov 3-1 in their head-to-hed but they are yet to play each other on the clay.
