Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard ‘didn’t like’ Novak Djokovic ‘shaving his head’ after Serbia’s maiden Davis Cup win
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard recalled watching Serbia's win over France in the 2010 Davis Cup final after which Novak Djokovic shaved his head.
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Novak Djokovic, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (Images via X, YouTube)
Novak Djokovic was a part of the Serbian team when they won the Davis Cup title in 2010. Serbia, after knocking out the United States in the quarterfinals and the Czech Republic in the semifinals, locked horns with France in the final in Belgrade and beat them 3–2 to lift their maiden Davis Cup title.
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who was seven years old at that time, was watching that final. Gael Monfils helped France take a 1-0 lead with a win over Janko Tipsarevic, following which, Djokovic leveled the scores by beating Gilles Simon.
The pair of Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra then overcame the Serbian pair of Viktor Troicki and Nenad Zimonjic in a thrilling five-set battle. Serbia were on the brink of defeat but Djokovic’s straight-set win over Monfils, followed by Llodra’s defeat made Serbia a Davis Cup champion.
Following the final, the Serbian squad shaved their heads on the court to celebrate their victory. 21-year-old Perricard, however, was not a fan of that incident.
France against Spain, Belgium, Croatia… It’s a competition, memories that have left their mark on me, especially the old format. I remember France-Serbia when we lost in the final with Djokovic shaving his head on the court, I didn’t like that (smiles).
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard said during an interview with L’equipe
Perricard recently participated at the Australian Open where he lost to compatriot Monfils in five sets in the first round. The youngster could have met Djokovic for the first time in his career had the latter beat Reilly Opelka in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Brisbane International.
Novak Djokovic to skip Davis Cup tie against Denmark
Novak Djokovic was scheduled to play Serbia’s Davis Cup Qualifiers First Round tie against Denmark but his hamstring injury forced him to withdraw from it. The first match of the tie is set to start on Friday (January 31).
Because of the injury, the 24-time Grand Slam champion had to quit his Australian Open semifinal match against Alexander Zverev just after the first set. Djokovic could miss the Qatar Open if he fails to recover before the ATP 500 event. Reports have emerged that the muscle tear could force Djokovic to waste a couple of months on the sidelines.
The Serbian great won the title in Doha in 2016 and 2017, and if he plays, then it will be his fifth appearance in the tournament and the first since 2018. He is 15-2 in the event.
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Gouri Das
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