On a thread, can Djokovic still lose his nerves against Carreno Busta?

Novak Djokovic during his round of 16 against Khachanov at Roland Garros, October 5, 2020. -

• Novak Djokovic is opposed to Pablo Carreno Busta this Wednesday in the quarter-final of Roland-Garros.

• The reunion is expected, a month after the round of 16 of the US Open in which the Serbian was disqualified for unintentionally touching a linesman with a dangling ball of rage. 

• We try to explain why the world number 1 is often nervous, even though he has a large margin on the court.

At Roland-Garros,

Apparently, there is someone, somewhere, who decided to mess with Novak Djokovic.

Or it's just what is called karma.

On Saturday, the Serbian was not only making friends by arguing that we could do without linesmen in the future, the Hawk-Eye being able to take care of everything very well.

Two days later, during his speedy victory against Khachanov in the round of 16 at Roland Garros, he stood out by sending a ball straight to a linesman.

No worries this time, it was just the result of a woody comeback.

But, less than a month after his mishap at the US Open, where he was disqualified after having, on a stroke of blood, thrown a ball that had landed by chance on an official who had asked nothing, " it’s quite a disturbing déjà vu ”, as he himself admitted.

The story does not end there yet.

This Wednesday, in the quarterfinals, he will find… Pablo Carreno Busta, the man who had just pushed him to the limit during this famous round of 16 in New York.

Who says coincidences don't exist?

ÚLTIMA HORA 🚨 |

Están valorando si descalifican a Djokovic tras golpear con la pelota (sin intención) a una juez de línea

#USOpen pic.twitter.com/jxTTz3qU9G

- Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) September 6, 2020

"Given what happened in New York, I imagine that this will generate a lot of ink," commented the world number 1 on Monday.

But it has happened to me in the past, as it has to others.

The bullet ricochets and hits someone in the stands, for example, it happens.

But it was still a very strange situation.

»He who does not hide a little mystical side, we can not help thinking that this incident must work a little, like the fact of crossing Carreno Busta again.

Will all of this affect the game of the day?

It's possible.

As strong as he is, Novak Djokovic remains a moody player on the court.

His cable freak at the US Open wasn't the first.

Small anthology:

• During the final of the last Australian Open, he attacked the chair umpire violently after receiving two warnings for exceeding a time limit on service.

  "You wanted to make yourself famous, right?"

  Good job man, great, ”he says to Frenchman Damien Dumusois, even allowing himself to touch his foot.

  At the extreme limit of disqualification.

• In the semi-final of Roland-Garros in 2016, while he was quietly leading against Berdych, he pulled out after a missed forehand.

  He wants to throw his racket on the ground but it escapes him and flies towards a linesman, who narrowly avoids the drama.

  His only victory at Porte d'Auteuil didn't mean much.

• Still in 2016, at the end of the year Masters in London, he throws a ball in the stands after the loss of the first set against Thiem for his entry into the running.

  Directed towards her box, she passes just above and almost hits spectators.

  He only gets a warning, but when a reporter after the meeting points out to him that it could have been more serious, he gets annoyed, says he doesn't see where the problem is and argues that " could also have snowed in the O2 Arena, but it didn't ”.

• In the semifinals of the Masters 1000 in Shanghai in 2017, he smashes his racket and tears his t-shirt in rage at Roberto Bautista-Agut.

  He takes two warnings, which he does not accept.

  “The referee was the star of the show.

  That's what he wanted to be today, ”he says.

  
  

All this makes Novak Djokovic "a good case study", considers Stéphanie Sagaspe, performance coach and mental trainer specializing in tennis.

“It shows two sides,” she explains.

On the one hand, he is someone who is very focused on personal development and who does not hide it, we have seen this especially during confinement.

I find it interesting that he shows that he works on this aspect on a daily basis.

And on the other hand, he has his demons returning to the field.

It proves that the mind is something to be nurtured, like the forehand or the backhand.

"

What marks in Djoko is this impression that he is often on the verge of tipping, even though he has a large margin on the court.

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, the other two behemoths of the circuit, do not release any of this.

How is the Serbian different?

Pepe Imaz, the enigmatic mental trainer who collaborated with him between 2017 and 2018 (and who is never far away), provided an interesting element of explanation during an intervention on the Cadena Ser following the incident at the US Open:

“Djokovic felt the pressure because he was very close to being able to approach the records of his two biggest rivals Rafa and Roger who were not in New York to play the tournament.

Whether you like it or not it takes a toll and if you are not focused on yourself, this sort of thing can happen.

"

It's a fact, Djokovic has always been chasing the two kings of tennis.

In terms of charts, he overtook the Spaniard with 22 Grand Slam victories (against 20) and is now chasing the Swiss record (26).

But even more important than that, no doubt, he does not manage to join them in the small hearts of tennis fans, despite all his efforts.

And that seems to hurt him.

“It is important that Djokovic realizes that he should not take himself for God.

Novak is Novak and everyone has their own personality, ”added Imaz in the same interview.

Nick Kyrgios surely talks too often before thinking, but no one raised a hand to prove him wrong when he flaunted the Serbian last year.

“He has a sick obsession with the need to be loved.

He wants to be Roger.

He wants to be loved so much that I can't stand it.

It becomes embarrassing, ”he said in an interview with the NCR Tennis Podcast.

To brighten this rainy day, my long-awaited interview with @NickKyrgios is now up on @NCR_Tennis.

Enjoy.

https://t.co/bMbgdn4SQo

- Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) May 15, 2019

“Image is predominant in sport.

If we are less appreciated by the public than our competitors, this can have an impact, that's normal, explains Stéphanie Sagaspe.

This can engender anger, buried very deep, and bitterness.

For the mental coach, it is this anger that sometimes emerges in Djokovic, more than the frustration of having missed a shot or lost a game.

“Frustration is more of a feeling than an emotion.

Anger is something primary, which comes from the body and which one can hardly control.

It doesn't last more than ten seconds, and at the US Open for example, that's clearly what we saw, she continues.

Djokovic does not seem very stable emotionally, he is wavering and you can always feel him on a wire.

But that does not impact its results, which are linear.

It means that he does not enter into frustration phenomena.

"

Will Carreno Busta do it again?

Whether or not to be overwhelmed by anger, it depends on each person's personality.

No question of changing it like that, and then it can make the salt of the champions, as the nostalgics of the time of John McEnroe or Jimmy Connors assert it.

Djokovic isn't one of the biggest cranks in history either, but this Thursday again he's going to have to be careful.

Carreno Busta hasn't forgotten their last encounter either, and especially what happened before the incident.

Because if the world number 1 went crazy, there was a reason.

"We haven't talked enough about it," the Spaniard's coach Samuel Lopez recently recalled at the microphone of Eurosport.

Why did Novak find himself in this situation?

It came from the high level Pablo was playing.

After losing his set points, then his serve, Novak got very nervous.

"

Our Roland-Garros file

The Spaniard will certainly want to repeat the same pattern.

“Djokovic has shown that we can quickly annoy him,” adds Stéphanie Sagaspe.

His opponents can play it.

»We still have to have the means, because if it was so easy, it would be known.

And the Serbian would not have 35 victories for a defeat in 2020. We would still advise the linesmen of Philippe-Chatrier to be on their guard, later.

Just in case.

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