The Roland-Garros ticketing affair is experiencing a spectacular rebound. On June 14, after three months of analysis, the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) decided to dismiss “for lack of infringement” a criminal complaint filed against X by elected officials of the French Tennis Federation (FFT) for suspicion of ” corruption “ and of “embezzlement of public property” in connection with the Parisian Grand Slam ticket office.

Said complaint was filed on March 16 by seven leaders and former executives of the FFT, including Alain Moreau (current president of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine league) and Pascal Da Costa (member of the Superior Council of Tennis). The complainants accused the president of the body, Gilles Moretton, elected on February 13, 2021, and two of his relatives, Hughes Cavallin, his former chief of staff, and Jean-Luc Barrière, treasurer general of the FFT, of“having organized the diversion of Roland-Garros tournament tickets to the detriment of the FFT”. And to be exempt from “consequences of their misdeeds” since their accession to the orders of the federation, “by means of new abuses of their functions”.

However, according to our information, the public prosecutor’s office of the Paris Court of Appeal decided, on July 24, after having re-examined the file, to “give instructions to the PNF with a view to opening a preliminary investigation”.

“Mistakes made by the PNF”

This unprecedented decision comes after a request filed with the general prosecutor’s office on June 30 by Jean-Pierre Versini-Campinchi, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, under article 40-3 of the code of criminal procedure. In his request, Mr.^e Versini-Campinchi contested the classification without follow-up and denounced the “factual and material errors committed by the PNF having led him to an improper analysis of the facts denounced”.

Solicited by The world, the PNF confirms having received these instructions from the public prosecutor’s office. He indicates that he will “carry out a re-examination of the classification decision and additional investigations”. “Depending on this assessment work and any new elements, the PNF will decide whether a preliminary investigation should be opened or not”adds the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office.

Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Roland-Garros ticket office: the noose is tightening around the French Tennis Federation

The complainants had also noted alleged acts of embezzlement of public property, in 2019, by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes league, chaired from 2018 to 2021 by Mr. Moretton. In question: the sale, within the framework of a partnership, of eighty places to the interim company Adequat, which then had them marketed as “VIP Gold” tickets. Allegations swept away by the entourage of Mr. Moretton.

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The house, sheltered behind a low wall, would be discreet if it weren’t for this American flag which flies on top of a mast, proudly planted in front of the entrance. Worcester, on the outskirts of Boston, in the northeast of the United States, is a peaceful city with its single-storey pavilions and its green lawns revived by the showers of this month of June. ” Good morning “, launches the owner, with the “r” which scrapes the palate, in the French way.

Bob Cousy, 94, is a delight for neurologists passionate about the mysteries of memory: arrived in New York “in the stomach” of his Burgundian mother, in 1927, the American spoke, until he was 5 years old, only the language of Maurice Chevalier, before erasing it in favor of English. Nearly a century later, his rare reminiscences of French come out without the slightest accent. “I speak like a Parisian”, have fun, in french, the old man.

Robert Joseph Cousy – his full name – invites you to sit in the office, where the feet of his walker sink into a thick pink carpet. A library full of trophies, medals and old magazine covers sits behind him. The exhibition celebrates his career: that of the first star of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the American basketball league.

He derails in front of the camera

For thirteen years, from 1950 to 1963, “Cooz”, as fans still call him, enchanted the franchise – a term used in the United States to designate a club – the Boston Celtics, winning six NBA championship titles. The press at the time adored this small white man, 1.85 meters thick as a cyclist, ambidextrous and twirling, nicknamed “Houdini” – a reference to the famous magician –, because of his unpredictable style of play. A legend, received at the White House by eight American presidents since Dwight Eisenhower (1953-1961). The leader was even entitled, in 1962, to a private audience with Pope John XXIII, at the Vatican.

Forty years later, in 2001, retired Bob Cousy welcomed a team from the sports channel ESPN to his home. The latter is preparing a report devoted to her ex-teammate Bill Russell, who has become “the” unsurpassable legend of the Celtics, eleven league titles – an unmatched record – and five best player in the league. Cousy is used to tirelessly repeating the same anecdotes in front of the media.

But, that day, he derails in front of the camera. Tears well up in his eyes, preventing him from speaking. “What is happening to me? », he wonders. The following days, the question obsessed him, before a word imposed itself to describe his disorder: guilt. At the end of his life, the former sportsman regrets not having reached out, at the time, to this teammate who would have needed it. Bill Russell, who died in 2022, was black.

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The cleaver fell, but it’s not that sharp. Irishman Johnny Sexton has been suspended for three games for ” misbehavior “ during the Champions Cup final lost at the end of May by Leinster against La Rochelle. This sanction, announced on Sunday July 16 by the European professional club rugby (EPCR), the organizing body of the European cups, means that the emblematic 38-year-old opening half will be able to play in the World Cup with the Irish selection. .

“He is free to play on August 27, 2023”declares, in a press release, the EPCR, which specifies that Johnny Sexton would miss the three preparation meetings scheduled for August against Italy, England and Samoa, while the World Cup begins on September 8.

The captain of the XV of Clover was heard Thursday before an independent disciplinary commission because of his behavior towards the South African referee Jaco Peyper, at the end of the Champions Cup final lost by his province against La Rochelle on 20 last May in Dublin. Forfeited through injury, Sexton had not participated in the match but was present at the Aviva Stadium to encourage his partners.

Read also: Les Rochelais retain their title of European rugby champions by overthrowing Leinster

The Disciplinary Committee found his behavior “confrontational, aggressive and disrespectful towards match officials”said the EPCR. “Particularly he pointed his finger at them and yelled something like, ‘It’s a shame you can’t make the right decisions’, probably accompanied by an expletive.”.

His last competition before retirement

His Leinster club, deemed unable to contain his player, was fined 7,500 pounds (about 8,750 euros). Sexton, Leinster and EPCR now have the opportunity to appeal this decision before Wednesday.

Operated on adductors in the spring, number 10 had to withdraw for the end of the season. On May 30, however, he appeared in the list of 42 players selected to prepare for the World Cup in France by the coach of the XV of Clover, the Englishman Andy Farrell. Sexton, 113 caps for Ireland, has long announced that the World Tournament will be his last competition before retirement.

Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Six Nations Tournament: victorious, Ireland takes date before the World Cup in France

Poured into Pool B, the Irish, winners of the Grand Slam in the Six Nations Tournament this spring, will face Romania in Bordeaux on September 9, Tonga in Nantes on September 16, and South Africa on September 23. at the Stade de France and finally, still in Saint-Denis, in Scotland on October 7.

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Under the watchful eye of Prince William, on Sunday July 16 on Center Court at Wimbledon, a new tennis master made himself king, in five sets. After a failed start to the match, world number one Carlos Alcaraz overcame his runner-up in the ATP rankings and most successful Grand Slam player (23), Novak Djokovic (1-6, 7-6 [8-6]6-1, 3-6, 6-4).

Manhandled from the start, as during his defeat in June against the Serb in the semi-finals of the French Open, the Spaniard then showed impressive solidity. Better prepared this time, the native of El Palmar has gradually mastered his opponent, and his nerves. While remaining true to himself on the court, generous in effort, able to gain points in finesse, as in power.

Read also: Wimbledon: Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz have an appointment in the final

“Carlitos” thus completes his rise to power on grass, he the earthling, winner a month earlier of the ATP 500 at Queen’s, prologue tournament at Wimbledon. At 20, the Murcian now signs his second Grand Slam victory, after his success in 2022 at the US Open.

A quick adaptation

Dominating on clay since the start of the season, Alcaraz surprised his world in Great Britain, on grass, during a tournament in which he had never reached the knockout stages. Having dropped only two sets before the final, the Spaniard easily got rid of world number six, Holger Rune (7-6 [7-3]6-4, 6-4), in the quarters, before inflicting, in the semi-final, the same sentence on number three, Daniil Medvedev (6-3, 6-3, 6-3).

Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Roland-Garros 2023: Novak Djokovic, hero alone against all, and now alone in the world

Full of confidence when he entered Center Court on Sunday, Alcaraz first suffered everything he praised earlier, from his opponent: “He has no weakness (…), he is a complete player, who does nothing wrong on the court. Physically, he’s a monster. Mentally, he’s a monster. »

Dried in the first set (6-1) in just 34 minutes of play, the Spaniard with disheveled hair then made his pride speak. A sufficient turnaround to pocket the next two innings. First after a suffocating tie-break (7-6 [8-6]), exercise yet acclaimed by the Serb, who had won his last thirteen decisive games.

In the third set, the Spaniard inflicted on the Serb the lesson he himself had received in the first (6-1). With the difference that the two men fought for almost half an hour in the fifth game, during a succession of advantages and equalities.

In the fourth round, “Nole” regained breath and was sharper than the Spaniard (3-6). The two men then embarked on an electric fifth set where Alcaraz quickly broke Djovokic. The world number one then did not give an inch of ground to the Serb. A single match point was enough for him to conclude the game. Overjoyed, Alcaraz collapsed on Center Court once their success was achieved.

Czech player Marketa Vondrousova won the Wimbledon tennis tournament in London on Saturday July 15 by winning the final of the competition (6-4, 6-4) against her Tunisian opponent Ons Jabeur. Marketa Vondrousova, ranked 42^e world, becomes the first unseeded player to win this Grand Slam tournament. Ons Jabeur, still in search of a Grand Slam title, lost its third major final, after those of Wimbledon and the US Open last year.

Marketa Vondrousova, 24, had reached the French Open final in 2019 but had won just two matches on grass in her career arriving at Wimbledon this year. With this victory, she will reach the best place of her career in the ranking on Monday: 10^e. Until then, his best ranking was at 16^e place, reached in 2019.

She was the first non-seeded Wimbledon finalist of the Open era (since 1968) and first since Billie Jean King in 1963. While playing her 21^e Grand Slam tournament, Marketa Vondrousova became the third Czech to win at Wimbledon after Jana Novotna and Petra Kvitova.

On Saturday, Ons Jabeur started the match perfectly by immediately succeeding the break to break away 2-0, but they were unable to maintain the advantage, neither this time nor when they led again 4-2. The 28-year-old Tunisian missed the next four games and the set, committing many unforced errors, such as the one that gave Vondrousova the break point at 4-4: a first smash with little pressure on her opponent, followed by a high forehand volley out of bounds.

For the first time in front of the score, the Czech thus served for the set at 5-4… and did not hesitate to conclude with a shutout. On its way, Marketa Vondrousova managed the second set entry break, but under an ovation from the public Ons Jabeur lined up three games (double break) to regain the lead, at 3-1.

Serious but without sparks, Marketa Vondrousova came back to 3-3. As in the first set, the two players came to 4-4, where Ons Jabeur offered the break to Marketa Vondrousova who, at 5-4, served this time to win the match. She offered herself three match points in a row. After spoiling the first on a double fault, she won the second on a volley.

The world

Les Bleuets have the opportunity to make July 14 a real national holiday. The French under-20 rugby team, reigning double world champions, has the opportunity to win a third title in a row, Friday at 7 p.m., against Ireland, in Cape Town, South Africa .

The Tricolores had triumphed in 2018 and 2019 but the Covid-19 pandemic prevented the holding of the following three editions. But, before intoning The Marseillaise gold medals around their necks, they will have to resist the Irish, authors of a grand slam at the last Six Nations Tournament. The XV of Clover will want to add the world crown to the “European” one won this spring.

“I don’t know if we can speak of a feeling of revenge for us, but it’s true that Ireland are the only team to have won against us this season”, says the captain of the Habs, Lenni Nouchi. On February 20 at Musgrave Park in Cork, during the second day of the Tournament, the Irish had won on the wire, 33-31, in a meeting enamelled with yellow cards (two on each side).

Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Stade Rochelais, European rugby champion for the second time, a success that comes from afar

The French, despite five tries, failed to get the better of their opponents due to too many fouls, which allowed Leinster fly-half Sam Prendergast to pass four decisive penalties for victory final.

But Friday will be another day, wants to believe the third line of Montpellier: “They are European champions and we want to be world champions. »

“We always end well”

The coach of the Blueberries, Sébastien Calvet, renewed for this world final the team aligned against England. In the semi-finals, the Habs, led 14-24 at half-time, had managed to turn the tide on the return from the locker room to finally win by a wide margin.

“That a team puts us in difficulty, it happened to us and it will happen again, emphasizes Nouchi. The important thing is to see how we react, how we end up. However, we always end well, so for us, that’s the main thing. »

Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Toulouse overthrows La Rochelle on the wire, and anchors its supremacy on French rugby

“The Irish will test us, try to put us at fault”, warns Calvet, however. But, he adds, “the strength of this group is that the players are complementary: they are both humble and, at some point, there is one who will pull the group up and appear out of nowhere”.

The coach affirms it, the Bleuets have “all the tools to worry the Irish and win” the final. In addition, a victory for the Habs against Ireland could be a great source of inspiration for the Fabien Galthié men who risk crossing paths with the men in green at the next World Cup in France, from September 8 to October 28. .

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At Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic is in his garden. The Serb proved it once again on Friday July 14, leaving no chance to Jannik Sinner, whom he beat in the semi-finals in three sets and two hours and forty-eight minutes of play (6-3, 6-4, 7-6 [7-4]). Already winner of the last four editions of the London Grand Slam, the world number two could chain a fifth consecutive success and equal Roger Federer’s record of eight titles.

Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Roland-Garros 2023: Novak Djokovic, hero alone against all, and now alone in the world

But before that, there is one last step for Djokovic, who will have to win the final on Sunday, against Carlos Alcaraz, who dominated (6-3, 6-3, 6-3) the Russian Daniil Medvedev at the end of the day. . As a regular at Center Court and given his form since the start of the season – he has already won the Australian Open and Roland-Garros in 2023 – he will start as the favorite for this meeting. Jannik Sinner, who was playing his very first Grand Slam semi-final, paid for his lack of experience against the Serb.

This was the case in the last set, during the 15th consecutive tie-break won by Djokovic, an absolute record in the Open era. Without trembling, the latter materialized his first match point to play his ninth final at Wimbledon. A completely different scenario from that of the 2022 quarter-final, when Sinner had frightened Djokovic for a moment by leading two sets to zero, before collapsing (5-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6 -2).

More jostled by the referee

This time, the world number 8 failed to really hinder the Serb, always decisive in key moments. At the start of the game, Djokovic saved two break points on his first service game, before taking on that of his young opponent (21 years old). Sure of his fact, “Nole” was finally more jostled by the referee, Richard Haigh, than by Sinner. In the second set, the world number two was booked for a time saver, seconds after being penalized with a lost point for shouting after hitting the ball.

“It could have been the turning point of the match, but I managed to stay focused”, assured a very relaxed Djokovic and a bit lodger towards the referee after the meeting. To win his 34th consecutive match at Wimbledon – he hasn’t lost there since 2017, in the quarter-final against Tomas Berdych – Djokovic still had to fight during the last round, notably saving two set points.

Read our report: Article reserved for our subscribers Roland-Garros 2023: Novak Djokovic, “national treasure” of Serbia

“He managed to put a lot of pressure on me in the third set. He has proven why he is one of the leaders of the new generation”, recognized Djokovic. In the final, the latter will face Carlos Alcaraz, world number one and another representative of this youth at the top. This meeting will be the revenge of the semi-final of Roland-Garros, during which the Spaniard, nervous and cramped, had given up in four sets (6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1) against the Serbian. Alcaraz, who won the Queens tournament on grass just before Wimbledon, will play his first final in the “temple of tennis”. Djokovic will have only one goal: to win a 24ᵉ Grand Slam title and equal the absolute record, women and men combined, of Margaret Court.

New York, June 22. The curtain has not yet risen on the Barclays Center, a modern basketball hall whose patinated steel facade symbolizes the renewal of the Brooklyn district. The eye never rests in this arena saturated with lights and giant screens. Neither does the ear. The crowd of 17,000 spectators, heated by beer, maintains a hubbub of impatience, against a backdrop of hip-hop. In less than an hour begins the National Basketball Association (NBA) draft, the annual evening during which the most promising talents in international basketball are chosen to join American clubs.

Twenty-five players, accompanied by their families and agents, occupy the greenroom, offered to the gaze of the public, in front of the stage. A term borrowed from the actors’ waiting rooms, from the theatre. It is “the” evening of their (young) life – they are all between 18 and 22 years old. Months, years they wait to join the most prestigious basketball championship in the world.

The invitation to sit here rewards their prowess but does not represent the end of the road: they must still be selected by one of the league’s thirty franchises – a term used across the Atlantic to designate clubs. According to tradition, the worst-placed teams during the past season, then ranked according to a weighted lottery, have the opportunity to pick the first from the list of candidates. A way of rebalancing the forces present each year.

future millionaires

Exotic from a European point of view, the show is an essential event in American sports culture, as old as the NBA, whose creation dates back to 1946. It also exists in baseball, hockey or football (in its version from across the Atlantic). A sort of rite of passage for aspiring professionals, invited to follow one another on the stage, like graduates fresh from university, to be presented with a cap bearing the logo of their new employer.

Crying, hugs… the empathy machine is then running at full speed, live on the sports channel ESPN, as well as on ABC, one of the three main networks in the United States. The opportunity for these future millionaires, invited to present themselves in civilian clothes, to display their taste – often flashy – for undermining and rhinestones.

This 2023 edition could go down in history for reasons other than an affront to elegance. The explanation lies in one name: Victor Wembanyama, whom the Texas team of San Antonio Spurs chose in first position. Never had a Frenchman been selected at this level. Above all, the potential of the young man of 19 years feeds all the fantasies. Experts have been wondering for months: is he the most anticipated player in NBA history, the equivalent of a Michael Jordan or a LeBron James? The unprecedented talent of this 2.22 meter giant, who can shoot, dribble and run like a “small” 1.90 meter, will he revolutionize the game? The answer doesn’t really matter. The only thing that counts is waiting, this engine of desire.

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Revenge will wait. Swept away in the semi-finals (6-3, 6-3) by Marketa Vondrousova, Elina Svitolina could not resist the 42nd in the world. This is the second defeat of the Ukrainian against the Czech player after the one suffered, at the same stage of the competition, during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. This poor performance should not, however, hide the exceptional summer of Elina Svitolina, surprise winner of Iga Swiatek, world number 1, on the London lawn in the quarter-finals (7-5, 6-7, 6-2), after several months away from the courts, between pregnancy, injuries and war in his country.

Currently world No. 76, Elina Svitolina has had a near-white season in 2022. During a mentally exhausting spring following the invasion of Ukraine, the player decided to step back from the courts. “I am proud to be Ukrainian. Let us unite in this extremely difficult time for the sake of peace and the future of our State. Glory to Ukraine »she wrote on Twitter, February 23, 2022. Tennis then took second place for Svitolina, who dedicated herself to helping her country and was appointed ambassador of the United 24 association, created by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

On May 17, 2022, Elina Svitolina, married to Frenchman Gaël Monfils, announced her pregnancy. Happy news that she shares on social networks: “With hearts full of love and happiness, we are delighted to announce that we are expecting a baby girl in October. » Despite recurring back pain, Svitolina returned to the circuit in March 2023, during the Charleston tournament in the United States. Eliminated in the first round against the Kazakh Yulia Putintseva, she won the Strasbourg tournament two months later. A first since his victory in Chicago in September 2021.

Third Grand Slam semi-final

It’s a rebirth for the tennis player, used to rubbing shoulders with the peaks (3ᵉ world in 2017) and descended into the abyss of the women’s ranking (WTA). Aligned on clay at Roland-Garros, a surface she does not like, Svitolina manages to reach the quarter-finals at the cost of an obstacle course. Finally beaten by Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, seeded number 2, in two sets (4-6, 4-6), she aroused the affection of the French public. “From the first round, I saw that I was supported, I was cheered by the public and I get a little more each time”, she breathes after her round of 16 against Daria Kasatkina. An unexpected return, after only two months of competition.

Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Roland-Garros 2023: Aryna Sabalenka beats Elina Svitolina in a geopolitical match

During the London fortnight, she eliminated four former Grand Slam tournament winners (Venus Williams, Sofia Kenin, Victoria Azarenka and Iga Swiatek). Only Serena Williams, at the 1999 US Open, and Justine Hénin, at Roland-Garros in 2005, had achieved such a feat. In the quarter-finals, Iga Swiatek, eliminated after a 2:41 thriller sometimes reaching tennis heights, recognized the superiority of her opponent. “She didn’t play like she did when we played two years ago [à Rome en 2021], explained the Pole after her defeat. She was more liberated. »

Read the interview with Iga Swiatek: Article reserved for our subscribers Iga Swiatek, world number 1 in tennis: “Due to the war in Ukraine, there is currently a kind of chaos in the sport”

Where some might have given in to discouragement, Svitolina concedes that she feels stronger since the war, “including mentally”. “I don’t consider difficult times as disasters anymore. There are worse things in life. » On Thursday, this approach was not enough. She is eliminated for the third time in her career in the Grand Slam semi-finals, after Wimbledon and the US Open in 2019.

His opponent of the day, Marketa Vondrousova, will face in the final on Saturday, Ons Jabeur, winner of Aryna Sabalenka in three sets (6-7, 6-4, 6-3). The Czech, who will play in her second Grand Slam final after Roland Garros 2019 (lost to Ashleigh Barty), could become the first unseeded player to win Wimbledon. As for Svitolina, the Ukrainian will have another chance to win the grail at the US Open (August 28-September 10, 2023).

Novak Djokovic can match Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles. He qualified on Tuesday, July 11, for his twelfth Wimbledon semi-final by dismissing Russian Andrey Rublev (7^e world) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-3. “I played well, I have the good energy and I hope to win again on Friday”declared with great serenity the 36-year-old Serb, who will face the Italian Jannik Sinner (8^e) for a place in the final of the tournament which he is playing for the eighteenth time.

“Djoko” also has his sights set on the record of eight titles on the London turf, held by Roger Federer for men, one length from the absolute record of Martina Navratilova (9).

So for his 71^e Grand Slam tournament, he is the player to beat again and again. ” I love that ! Any player wants to be the one everyone else wants to beat”he said. “The pressure is always immense, especially here at Wimbledon, but it motivates me and makes me play my best tennis. They all want my scalp, but they won’t get it! »he launched before adding, laughing: “That was humility! »

In terms of records, he is also aiming for a fifth title in a row at Wimbledon to equal the series of Federer (2003-2007) and Björn Borg (1976-1980). He has also reached his 46^e Grand Slam semi-final, equaling Federer’s men’s record.

He played his 400 on Tuesday^e Grand Slam match after playing his 100^e at Wimbledon in the previous round. Only Roger Federer (429) and Serena Williams (419) have played more matches in major tournaments.

Rublev resistance

On Tuesday, Rublev who had been completely helpless on the hard of the Australian Open in January, already in the quarter-finals, offered a totally different game on the London grass, where he even led a set to zero.

As proof of this resistance, in addition to the dirt staining the Russian’s T-shirt, Djokovic had to defend eight break points (one lost), but he converted seven out of twelve on Rublev’s service. “There were huge exchanges. Sometimes, between the speed of his ball and his roars, he is scary”commented Djokovic about his opponent of the day and the famous “bweh” that he releases on his strikes.

Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Wimbledon: Andrey Rublev, back on the London lawn, wants to play the spoilsport

After losing this first set by giving up his serve at the end of the set, Djokovic took things in hand. Clearly, first, by succeeding two breaks to equalize at one set everywhere. More difficult in the third set where, after having made the break to lead 3-2, he served at 5-4 but only concluded on his fifth set point after having himself saved three break points.

The Djoker took control of the fourth set by breaking to lead 2-1 and, this time, his domination was total since he did not have to defend a single break point in the set and he pushed Rublev into a desperate final dive on match point.

Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Roland-Garros 2023: Novak Djokovic, hero alone against all, and now alone in the world

The World with AFP