Novak Djokovic loses cool; smashes racket in 3rd round win at French Open 2018
Former World Number 1 Novak Djokovic who has started finding his feet on clay showed an array of emotion on court at the French Open. Djokovic who after a long break due to an elbow injury dropped to number 20 in the rankings was playing Spaniard Rober Bautista Agut in his 3rd round encounter.
Djokovic controlled the opening exchanges without earning a break point and, after a slight wobble midway through a tight set where the pair traded baseline blows, converted his first opportunity to clinch the set.
Momentum continued to flow with Djokovic at the start of the second, breaking at the first chance, only to allow Bautista Agut back into the set when the Spaniard claimed his first break point of the match for 4-3. A furious Djokovic lost his temper when he missed a simple forehand, breaking his racquet by hammering it three times into the ground, drawing whistles from the crowd as he went to grab a new one. Following this Bautista Agut saved a set point on his serve at 5-4 down, fighting off two more at 6-5 to force the tie-break, then taking his third set point in the decider to level.
In other matches Spain’s Fernando Verdasco took out fourth seed Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets and now will face Novak Djokovic for a place in the quarter finals.
