Novak Djokovic offered a "glass of wine" by fan at Paris masters in exchange for a selfie
A tennis fan surprised Novak Djokovic at the Accord Arena on Thursday, displaying a placard saying that he just wants to have a glass of wine with the former World No. 1. The incident took place during Djokovic's third-round fixture against Karen Khachanov at the 2022 Paris Masters, which he handsomely won 6-4, 6-1.
The writing on the placard aroused smiles on the faces of fans present in the stadium as well, as the admirer was very particular about his demands. The fan made it clear that he did not want the 21-time Grand Slam or his shoes, requesting only that he have a glass of wine and a selfie with the Serb.
The placard read:
"We don't want your racket. We don't want your shoe. We just want to have a glass of wine (and a selfie) with you, NOVAK"
The request might look too oddly specific, but it is most likely a reference to the fact that Novak Djokovic recently launched two labels of wine in October to market his family-owned winery. The Serb's family acquired a piece of land in the past that had been a site for viticulture for more than 50 years, and wines produced from their land are now being supplied in Serbia.
"I didn't need to find the rhythm, the rhythm was there" Novak Djokovic on his third-round win at the Paris Masters
After his victory over Karen Khachanov in the third round, Novak Djokovic was proud of himself for his display on the night, stating that the rhythm was right there for him and that he didn't need to try too hard to find it.
"I didn't need to find the rhythm. The rhythm was there", he said in post-match press conference.
Though the Serbian outclassed his opponent in the fixture, he confessed that he was not feeling at his best physically at the start. The 35-year-old noted that he was just trying to gradually put pressure on the Russian and that it eventually worked out in the latter stages of the match.
"I was not feeling my best physically in the first set for some reason. Kind of sweating a lot, and just, I don't know, just happens, sometimes. You have to go through it and find a way, which is what happened. You know, I managed to hold my service games and put pressure on his service games", he asserted.
In the quarterfinals, the former World No. 1 will face off against Italy's Lorenzo Musetti.