July 31, 2021, Koto, Tokyo, Japan: Novak DJOKOVIC of Serbia in action during the Men s Singles Bronze Medal Match on the Centre Court at the Ariake Tennis Park on July 31st 2021 in Tokyo, Japan Koto Japan - ZUMAc179 20210731_zep_c179_175 Copyright: xMickaelxChavetx
Novak Djokovic fell short by a whisker of winning his seventh title at the Paris Masters. He lost in the finals of the event against a red-hot Holger Rune in a riveting three-set clash.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion entered the 2022 Paris Masters as one of the hot favorites. However, his longtime nemesis Rafael Nadal was also on the list of favorites. World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and the in-form Felix Auger-Aliassime were also frontrunners to bag the title in Bercy.
However, it was the 19-year-old Holger Rune who came up trumps. He came back from a set down in the final against Novak Djokovic to win the match and claim his third ATP tour-level title.
A video has surfaced on the internet where we can see a member of Novak Djokovic’s team mixing something in a bottle while a person in front of him asks another person to cover him while doing his work. The bottle is then passed on to Djokovic via a ball kid. Journalist Ben Rothenberg reacted to the video that has gone viral on Twitter. He wrote:
“I’ve always thought there should be more transparency about the substances players take, particularly during matches, but I’ve also rarely thought anything was likely amiss. But golly, the body language in this video is bizarre. What does the Djokovic team think needs hiding?”
Ben Rothenberg and Novak Djokovic have a storied history. In fact, Novak’s wife, Jelena Djokovic got into a war of words on Twitter with Rothenberg prior to the 2022 US Open.
After his initial tweet where he said that he felt that there should be more transparency regarding substances that players take during matches, Rothenberg also posted another follow-up tweet where he hoped that Djokovic and his team are asked about the incident. He wrote:
I’m accusing no one of anything here, but what an incredibly suspicious way to act when you suddenly notice that you’re being filmed. Hope Djokovic and/or his team get asked about this today in Paris, and that they don’t just accept his previous “magic potions” answer.
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