Novak Djokovic complained to the chair umpire about lights from spectators disrupting his returns during his Paris Masters match against Valentin Vacherot. The Serb went on to recover from losing the first set and win 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-1 in two hours and 35 minutes on Tuesday.
The complaint came early in the deciding set, after Djokovic had earned break points on Vacherot’s serve. As lights came on before a return, he said, “The light! Every time before the serve.” When it happened again, he told the umpire: “You tell them to switch off the light before the serve!”
Djokovic broke Vacherot and held serve to move 3-0 ahead. During the changeover, he explained that spectators had been switching on lights to film points, including several times behind the server at key moments. The umpire initially thought Djokovic was referring to lighting in the venue, but then understood that the source was spectators.
The break appeared to unsettle Vacherot, while Djokovic grew more comfortable against the 27-year-old’s powerful serve as the match progressed. Vacherot had beaten Djokovic on the way to the Shanghai Masters title last year, but the Serb advanced in Paris and kept his ATP Finals qualification hopes alive. He will face Rinky Hijikata in the second round.
Sources: Tennis365.