One of those players was Zverev, who had received a walkover as a result of Tallon Griekspoor’s injury earlier in the day. He snapped a picture of the trophy and posted it on social media with the caption: “Didn’t expect to see you here @championsleague Congrats @psg.”
But Djokovic accused Zverev of having an ulterior motive for being at the match, and doesn’t think that it was to do with football or PSG’s historic triumph.
He commented on the German’s Instagram post: “Tell the truth. You were there because you were spying on my game. Seeing the trophy was just an excuse.”
The humorous comment was met with delight by both sets of supporters as Djokovic and Zverev gear up to renew their rivalry on the Parisian clay.
Djokovic entered the French Open as the sixth seed, with Zverev third, but his opponent is far from ready to rule him out of championship contention.
“I mean, the guy won 24 Grand Slams, he’s never going to be a black horse,” declared Zverev when asked about Djokovic’s chances. “He definitely knows how to play tennis. He definitely knows what it means to be on the big stage and to play big matches. There is no doubt about that.
“Of course, until this moment, I had to focus on my matches. Now, from this moment onwards, I have to focus on Novak and maybe Norrie. But I will definitely follow the match, and I’ll definitely watch it.
“But Novak Djokovic will never be a black horse. For me, Carlos [Alcaraz] is the favourite. I have said that before. Then I would say the next three in line are Jannik [Sinner], myself, and Novak, right? I still believe that. I still believe on tennis and on experience Novak is up there with us, no question about that at all.
“So, yeah, I think from now on I have the toughest draw in the tournament. I’m looking forward to the battles ahead, and I’m looking forward to playing the best in the world.”
