"His head must hurt from all the brainless tennis" - Tennis fans react to Novak Djokovic watching Aryna Sabalenka-Karolina Muchova French Open SF
A picture of Novak Djokovic watching Aryna Sabalenka and Karolina Muchova tussle it out in the semifinals of the 2023 French Open has sent tennis fans into a tizzy on social media.
Aryna Sabalenka's impressive run in Pairs ended on Thursday as she went down to Muchova in three sets. Despite fighting valiantly, the Belarusian was eventually handed a 6-7(5-7), 7-6(7-5), 5-7 loss, her first in Grand Slams this year.
Novak Djokovic, who is through to the semifinals himself, was spotted watching the duo battle while at the gym, leading to all sorts of hilarious responses from Twitter users.
One fan joked about whether the 22-time Grand Slam champion couldn't help judging other players for their poor tactics when watching them play, saying:
"Do you guys think when Novak watches tennis he’s judging other players tactics bc they’re not as good as him."
As the match went into the third set, another fan joked that Djokovic's legs were going to be sore from using the cycling machine for so long.
"uh oh a third set his legs are gonna be sore af for the semi," they tweeted.
Here are some more reactions from fans:
Novak Djokovic to take on Carlos Alcaraz in the 2023 Roland Garros semifinals
Novak Djokovic has booked his berth in the prestigious 2023 Roland Garros last four and is scheduled to battle Spain's Carlos Alcaraz for a spot in the claycourt Grand Slam's title round.
The former World No. 1's run at the claycourt Slam has been really strong so far. After ousting Karen Khachanov in the previous round, ending the match with a score of 4-6, 7-6(0), 6-2, 6-4, the Serb is now set to face his biggest challenge.
However, the odds are stacked against Novak Djokovic. According to the bookmakers, Carlos Alcaraz has an upper hand going into the encounter; the Spaniard has a 67% winning probability compared to the Serb's 37%.
Alcaraz also has a 1-0 lead in the head-to-head against the World No. 3, having beaten him in the semifinals of the Madrid Open last year. While Alcaraz will retain the World No. 1 by beating Djokovic on Friday, the 36-year-old can reclaim it by going all the way in Paris and winning the title.
Moreover, winning the Roland Garros trophy will also make Djokovic the first man in the Open Era to complete the Triple Career Grand Slam -- winning all four Majors at least three times each.