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| A frustrated Novak Djokovic with Valentin Vacherot (inset) |
Novak Djokovic could not contain his anger during his Paris Masters opener with Valentin Vacherot due to disruption from the crowd.
After more than two hours of play, where both players split the first two sets 7-6 (5), 5-7, Djokovic brought up break points on Vacherot‘s serve early in the decider.
However, the 39-year-old’s flow was interrupted as he complained about lights coming on just before he returned the 27-year-old’s serve.
In one instance, Djokovic could be heard saying with a great deal of frustration, “The light! Every time before the serve.”
When it happened again, he angrily said to the chair umpire, “You tell them to switch off the light before the serve!”
Djokovic went on to break Vacherot’s serve and then hold his own to make it 3-0. But at the changeover, the umpire wanted to get to the bottom of the issue.
The 24-time major winner then explained, “Just before the serve, [on a] big point, they [the crowd] want to film it, and then they switch on the lights.
“It happened there (pointing behind the server on one side of the court) three times on big points, and here twice (opposite end of the court). This crowd, just behind. Of course, the crowd.”
Initially, the umpire thought Djokovic meant the light was coming from the venue itself, but he eventually understood that it was coming from spectators and took note of the veteran’s pleas.
That break of serve proved the undoing of Vacherot, who seemed completely rattled after letting his lead slip at the final Masters 1000 event of the year.
Djokovic looked a bit lethargic in the first half of the match but rallied, snatched the second set and stormed through the third to win 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-1 in two hours, 35 minutes on Tuesday.
As the match progressed, the former world No 1 managed to get a better read on Vacherot’s booming serve, which was such a huge weapon during his run to the Basel Open title on Sunday.
Vacherot beat Djokovic on his way to the Shanghai Masters title last year but there was no repeat of that in the French capital as the Serb kept his ATP Finals qualification hopes alive. He will face Rinky Hijikata in the second round.
- Richie Mills
