“Fisherman” R.Berankis will face N.Jokovich against the “snake” in the center court: the moment of the duel has been clarified

The strongest Lithuanian tennis player who won the first match of his career at the Roland Garros tournament in the second round of the French Open on the other side of the net will see Novak Djokovic, with whom he has already played in the Western & Southern tournament New York Open on August 24.

Then the Lithuanian, who unexpectedly fiercely opposed the Serbian, laid down his weapons only after a 101-minute fight: 6: 7 (2), 4: 6.

This was the second Lithuanian-Serbian duel – the first in 2013, N. Dzhokovic, then also world ranking leader, won with much more confidence – in the first stage of the US Open tournament, the Serbian recovered in 1 hour and 23 minutes : 6: 1, 6: 2, 6: 2.

R. Berankis has not played against any other tennis player, who at that time was ranked first in the ATP ranking, during his career.

15 minutes provides the most important information about R. Berankis’s encounter with the best player on the planet.

For the first time on the ground

The two clashes of R. Berankis and N. Dzhokovičius so far have taken place on a hard surface, and this time the Lithuanian and Serbian will collide on the ground.

The clay-based coating is not favorable for a Lithuanian tennis player: during his entire career in ATP tournaments on the ground, he has only won 8 times and lost 20.

The downside of the slimy red cape for Berankis is also illustrated by his track record at Roland Garros tournaments: for the first six attempts, the Lithuanian won only one set of 19 and did not beat any opponents and only on Tuesday did he finally stop the enchantment. , 6: 1, 6: 4, 6: 4 defeating Bolivian Hugo Dellien.

AFP / “Scanpix” nuotr./Ričardas Berankis

Primer is also not the most popular coating for N. Dzhokovich, but the 33-year-old Serb is able to curb even red clay with his versatility.

Nole is one of eight tennis players in history who has won all four Big Cross tournaments at least once, and did not achieve this achievement anywhere else in Paris, when in 2016 he finally managed to win the first and so far only tournament of Roland Garros. .

Overall, the Serbian tennis star has won 219 of 274 matches (79.9 percent) during his career on the field. This is a slightly worse indicator than N. Dzhokovich’s results on hard surfaces (84.4%) or grass (84.1%).

However, the conditions for the tournament this time in Paris are not normal. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Roland Garros was postponed from early summer to fall, resulting in uncharacteristic French Open weather.

Tennis players have to deal with the heating to only 14-16 degrees, and the courts wash the courts almost daily. N. Djokovic likes these unusual conditions.

“Of course, these conditions are different than what we are used to at the Roland Garros tournament. Everybody talks about it: heavier clay, colder air. Understandably, that is a game changer, the Serb said. – But I think those conditions are favorable for my style. I am physically, psychologically and emotionally prepared to go far in the tournament. I look forward to another successful year in Paris. “

Photo by Scanpix / Novak Djokovic

“Snake” vs. “fisherman”

The Serbian tennis player will be in a very good mood in the duel with R. Berankis – in the first stage of “Roland Garros” he had no problems playing against the Swede Mikael Ymer, whom he crushed 6: 0, 6: 2, 6: 3.

The 22-year-old Swede, who knew N. Dzhokovich’s power up close, defeated the Serb like a snake after defeat.

“It is like a snake that kills its prey. I was out of breath, “said the tennis player, who is ranked 80th in the ATP ranking.

It is like a snake that kills its prey. I stayed without breath.

“Snake” has no shortage of Serbian prey this year: Djokovic won as many as 32 matches in 2020, and his only loss was in the eighth final of the US Open, when a Serbian hit the referee line in a match with Pablo Carreño-Busta and was disqualified.

Tennis experts and foreign media have no doubt that N. Djokovičius will be looking for prey number 33 this year on Thursday night.

The French media channel France 24, which describes the events on the Paris cards in detail, is convinced of this.

“It is Lithuanian Ranks’ turn to try to break into the Serbian, who aspires to become the first tennis player in half a century to win all four Big Cross tournaments at least twice. Berankis, 30, mentions spearfishing in the Lithuanian lakes as one of his hobbies. After Thursday’s duel with Djokovic, he will probably have a lot of time for his fans, “the French have practically no doubts about the Serbian’s victory.

After Thursday’s duel with Djokovic, he will probably have plenty of time for his fans.

N. Djokovic’s time and punters hoping for a Serbian victory in three sets are also a guaranteed favorite. It is believed that Berankis will not cause as much trouble for the world’s first rocket as in New York, and will win 6-7 at best. geimus.

Place and time of the duel

As it should be, the best tennis player in the world will play his match against the first Lithuanian racket on the court of the tournament to be played in the center of Paris.

N.Jokovičius and R.Berankis will appear on the court named after the legendary French tennis player and long-time president of the country’s tennis federation, Phillipe Chatrier, no earlier than 3 pm

The exact time of the match will depend on how soon the previously scheduled matches on Center Court end.

Starting at 12 noon. The Latvian Jelena Ostapenko and the Czech Karolina Pliškova will play in it, not before 1.30 pm. on the ground they cover 15.5 thousand. Sofia Kenin from America and Ana Bogdan from Romania will play on the court with the seats in the stands.