Novak Djokovic and family attend Lionel Messi's final game for PSG in Paris
Novak Djokovic made the most of his day off at the 2023 French Open by attending the Ligue 1 encounter between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Clermont along with his children. The match also happened to be Lionel Messi's last for the French champions.
Messi failed to score as PSG went down 2-3 to Clermont. Sergio Ramos and Kylian Mbappe - who scored from the penalty spot - gave the home side a 2-0 lead, but that wasn't enough to secure the win.
Novak Djokovic was clicked alongside former French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Parc des Princes, just a day before his fourth-round match at Roland Garros.
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy (C) and Serbia's tennis player Novak Djokovic (R) attend to watch the French L1 football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Clermont Foot 63 at the Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris on June 3, 2023. https://t.co/SuhrvxQRNm
Novak Djokovic est présent ce soir au Parc des Princes pour le dernier match de Messi et Sergio Ramos au PSGDe #RolandGarros à #PSGCF63 ⚽️
🇷🇸 Novak Djokovic est présent ce soir au Parc des Princes pour le dernier match de Messi et Sergio Ramos au PSG https://t.co/580khuLtze
Stefan Djokovic,Novak Djokovic and Tara Djokovic are seen during the Ligue 1 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Clermont Foot at Parc des Princes on June 03, 2023 in Paris, France. https://t.co/gyjdl6Syxz
PSG's president Nasser al-Khelaifi and French basketball player Rudy Gobert were a couple of big names seated close to the two-time French Open champion.
Lionel Messi ended his two-season stint with PSG having scored 32 goals and provided 35 assists. He helped the club win two French League titles, playing a total of 74 games for the Parisians.
"You just have to deal with the reality" - Novak Djokovic shrugs off possible injury concerns
Novak Djokovic came through a grueling third-round encounter against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Friday, with the scoreline reading 7-6(4), 7-6(5), 6-2.
Djokovic was stretched to tie-breaks in the opening two sets, which lasted an hour and 25 minutes each. He required a medical timeout in the second set but showed no signs of discomfort in the third.
When asked if he had any injury concerns, the 36-year-old chose not to reveal too much, stressing that a professional athlete has to deal with such circumstances.
"These are the circumstances that you, as a professional athlete, have to deal with. Accept it," he said in a post-match press conference. "Sometimes you need help from physio during the match. Sometimes you need pills. Sometimes you need help from the God or angels, or whoever. Sometimes you just have to deal with the reality."
The Serb will square off against Juan Pablo Varillas on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Sunday, just before World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz plays Lorenzo Musetti.
Novak Djokovic is in search of a 23rd Grand Slam title but will, in all probability, run into top-seed Alcaraz in the semifinals. The pair's only meeting so far came in the Madrid Open semifinals last year, where Alcaraz won 6-7(5), 7-5, 7-6(5)