'Cars On Fire': Djokovic Reveals Chaotic Journey To Hotel After Latest Roland Garros Win
NewsTuesday, 03 June 2025 at 22:07
Novak Djokovic faced disruption on Saturday after his match at Roland Garros because of how thousands celebrated Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) Champions League success.
PSG had never won football's premier European trophy until they thrashed Inter Milan 5-0 in Saturday's final. They finally got over the line after several near misses during the last decade.
The city of Paris sparked into wild celebrations afterward. Most savored PSG's success without causing any disruptions, but a minority chose to mark the moment in the wrong way, leading to some unsavory scenes.
Two people died and hundreds were arrested for their actions during the celebrations. PSG and the French president Emmanuel Macron condemned the scenes, and Macron vowed to find all those responsible for criminal acts.
Djokovic could not view the Champions League final because he played during the night session on Saturday at Roland Garros. The 24-time Grand Slam champion had hoped to be scheduled during the day so he could watch PSG vs Inter Milan.
Instead, Djokovic spent his evening defeating Filip Misolic in straight sets. He backed that up a few days later with another triumph in three sets against Cameron Norrie to set up a quarterfinal with Alexander Zverev.
The former ATP world no. 1's journey back to the hotel coincided with the wild celebrations in Paris. In a press conference, Djokovic praised the chief of security and his team for managing the difficult situation.
"I want to thank the chief of security, who isn’t here, but he was amazing with his team. At one point, people were quite tense here, for our return to the hotel, they were not suggesting at one point we go back to the hotel at all. To maybe find a place to sleep somewhere around here for a night."
Djokovic saw gas bombs and cars on fire. After some deliberation, he and the security team decided to travel to the hotel. Thankfully, they did not encounter any serious threats to their safety from that point.
"Because at that point it was past midnight and there were some gas bombs and cars on fire, stuff happening on the street that was really dangerous. Actually everything around our hotel which is close to Arc de Triomphe. In the end we talked and waited for a bit. Then we decided to go, it was fine. We reached the hotel all good."
The tennis legend watched more of the scenes from his hotel room. Although he said some of those involved went too far, Djokovic was somewhat sympathetic and acknowledged it being a historic moment for Paris.
"It’s interesting in some way to look through your window what’s happening. At some point it was getting out of hand. But it’s understandable that people are so excited. First time champions league winners for this city. It’s one of the most important cities in the world."
Another topic that Djokovic recently commented about was Stefanos Tsitsipas hiring his former coach Goran Ivanisevic. The Croat had a very successful collaboration with Djokovic for almost five years. Ivanisevic also had a brief spell with Elena Rybakina before they split after the 2025 Australian Open.
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