Watch: Ball boy corrects Novak Djokovic when approached by Serb to accompany him onto the court at ATP Finals
Novak Djokovic was in action at the 2022 ATP Finals in Turin on Monday, taking on Stefanos Tsitsipas in his opening match. But on his way to the court before the contest, the 35-year-old was spotted approaching the wrong ball kid to accompany him to the court.
Djokovic entered the arena and offered his hand to the kid on his left, who was taken aback and quickly directed the 21-time Slam champion to the kid on the other side. Djokovic promptly changed direction and marched onto the court with his assigned ball kid, all while sporting an amused grin - presumably born out of the rather embarrassing moment.
Djokovic, Tsitsipas and the #NittoATPFinals ball kids:
A comedy in two acts 🎠https://t.co/75YLYq8ZZq
The match commentator, who witnessed the act, added a bit of an ironic note to her words and said:
"He needs the right kid to take on court... does so much right does Novak!"
Interestingly, the World No. 8's opponent Tsitsipas was also guilty of messing up his entrance. Rather than approaching the wrong kid, the World No. 3 completely forgot about offering his hand to the mascot.
Act 2:
Forgotten someone, @steftsitsipas? 😂 https://t.co/99ciFPzULV
Novak Djokovic eases past Stefanos Tsitsipas at 2022 Nitto ATP Finals
The second fixture in the Red Group saw Djokovic outclass Tsitsipas in straight sets, registering a 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory.
The seven-time Wimbledon champion took full control of the first set as Tsitsipas, the second seed, struggled to find the rhythm on his backhand. While Tsitsipas seemed to be in better touch in the second set, he could not make much of it as he was edged by the 35-year-old in the tie-break.
With the win, Djokovic sits on top of the Red Group. He will next face sixth seed Andrey Rublev on Tuesday. The Russian comes into the match on the back of rousing win over Daniil Medvedev in his opening encounter.
The head-to-head record between Djokovic and Rublev stands at 1-1. Their most recent meeting came in the Serbia Open final, where Rublev defeated the home favorite 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-0 to win the title.
The winner of Tuesday's match will be in a strong position to seal their place in the semifinals of the ATP Finals.