Superstitious, Frenchman Adrien Mannarino refuses to know his opponent’s identity minutes before entering the court. Which requires incredible gymnastics and precautions… especially when Mannarino’s next opponent is Novak Djokovic.
Adrian Mannarino, Ben Shelton’s grand winner on Friday evening in the third round of the Australian Open, started another mental match: how can we ignore that he will now challenge Novak Djokovic…
Superstitious as can be, the Frenchman refuses to know his next opponent. Even the interviewer at the Kia Stadium respects the deal. Scheduled in a large press conference room, the “bald divine” wants to avoid any problems. He pointedly asked the moderator – the French – to warn a few international journalists to avoid any questions about the world No.1.
Among them, two Serbian journalists who were told the information only twice. Disillusioned, they decided to leave the amphitheater. An Anglo/Saxon reporter tried to figure out how it worked. without success. Val-d’Ossien believes he doesn’t really need a strategic plan before taking to the court because his style of play is immutable. And he wants to maintain mental freshness. Knowing you’ll have to deal with monster jocks in Melbourne can keep you awake.
Not safe from running into an errant fan
Later, being the lover of the game, he finds solutions himself in the court. Away from social networks, Adrian Mannarino can count on his loved ones or my FFT officers who know how to hold their tongues. But it is not free from error. This Saturday, he will probably come to the stadium to hit a few balls. He may very well come across an onlooker who will say “good luck Jocjo”… and then the house of cards will come crashing down.
To clearly illustrate the complexity of the character, let’s go back to the US Open 2023. The Frenchman told us how he discovered he would be challenging Frances Tiafoe: “It was a few days before I was sure I was going to play Tommy Paul, he said. I was quickly told: “Do you have bags on your sleeves (Editor’s note: Advertisement ) to get the extra money. So I knew it was going to be on a big court. I also knew that Tiafoe or Paul were seeded between 8 and 16. When Tommy Paul started his match against Davidovich , I knew it was going to be Tiafoe right away.”
An investigation worthy of a PJ inspector… When his match schedule is known, Adrian Mannarino will probably make some deductions. However. So far, Novak Djokovic has played all his matches in the night session. Nothing says he will play fourth in a row. Response imminent. Here too, Adrian Mannarino is a completely different character. Love his game.
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