"I didn't say that, that's not true" - Novak Djokovic clarifies statement about 'disrespectful' French Open crowd

Novak Djokovic recently explained his previous comments about a part of the crowd at the 2023 French Open being disrespectful.

Djokovic reached the quarterfinals of the 2023 French Open by beating Juan Pablo Varillas in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 on Sunday, June 4. He did so in much less drama than in his third-round match against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, against whom he faced two tiebreaks.

During the battle with the Spaniard in the third round, Djokovic was booed by the French crowd. At the post-match press conference after the win, he said that the part of the crowd that boos players is disrespectful.

Now, during the press conference after his match against Varillas on Sunda, Novak was asked to compare the crowd in the two matches. However, the Serb didn't like the phrasing of the question from the journalist, saying he didn't say the whole crowd is disrespectful.

"I didn't say that. I didn't say that. Please, I said that the majority of the crowd is fine. They come, they enjoy tennis, they are respectful, they support either of the two players, but there are some individuals that create some issues. But I didn't say that the crowd is disrespectful. That's not true," Novak Djokovic explained.

The World No. 3 praised the crowd for their support during his fourth-round match against Varillas.

"I thought they were great, especially in the end. I mean, they gave me a very nice chanting and support, and I, you know, as a player, you always want to receive that love from the crowd. Of course I felt great. I thanked them in the interview," Djokovic added.

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Novak Djokovic reveals his sleep routine at the French Open 2023

Novak Djokovic at the 2023 French Open

Novak Djokovic talked about his sleep routine after his fourth-round win against Juan Pablo Varillas at the 2023 French Open on Sunday.

The Serb dispatched Varillas in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, and reached the 17th quarterfinals of Roland Garros in his career. He took Rafael Nadal in that particular milestone in the process.

At the post-match press conference, Djokovic was asked about his sleep routine.

"Well, I mean, sleep is extremely important. Probably more important than any other recovery routines that you could do. Yeah, I like to get at least, you know, eight-and-a-half hours of sleep a night. I'm pretty deep sleeper, so to say. I don't wake up during the night, so I get everything done in those particular amount of hours that I'm looking for," Djokovic explained.

He continued by explaining which part of sleep is the most needed for him and what he does when it's not easy to fall asleep.

"I mean, especially if you are experiencing some, you know, physical, strong physical efforts on a given day, then your body is asking for more sleep. REM sleep is the most important one between 1:00 and 4:00 a.m. So I try to be already in a deep sleep by that time," Novak Djokovic said.

"I don't go too early to sleep but I also don't go late, around midnight or something. I try to get those eight or nine hours of beauty sleep. I think that helps a lot with recovery, feeling good, feeling fresh," he added.

The two-time French Open champion also added that he takes naps, does meditation, breathing exercises, and more.

"Do I get naps? I get, yeah, if you want to call them maybe short naps, maybe some meditation stuff that I do during the day that it's just kind of a quick reset of energy, 10, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, depends how much I have," Novak Djokovic said.

"Sometimes it's just five minutes breathing exercises or something that will just recharge me and allow me to have a bit more energy for the rest of the day. Basically, yeah, that's the whole routine," he concluded.

Novak Djokovic will now take on Karen Khachanov in the quarter-finals of the 2023 French Open on Tuesday, June 6.