<p>The Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic accidentally hit his Swiss partner Roger Federer while playing Laver Cup doubles match against Jack Sock and Kevin Anderson of Team World, a match which was the talk of the town since the schedule was announced.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer of Team Europe paired up for the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/team-world-socks-it-federer-djokovic-laver-cup-167110">men's doubles match</a>, which they <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/team-world-socks-it-federer-djokovic-laver-cup-167110">eventually lost</a> 6-7, 6-3, 10-6.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Despite the loss, the Serbian and Swiss had a fun moment when Djoko accidentally struck the ball on Federer's back in the third game.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>Watch the video:&nbsp;</em></p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Well, that was AWKWARD 😳 <a href="https://t.co/WHJKFL56qD">pic.twitter.com/WHJKFL56qD</a></p>
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/LaverCup/status/1043329896360161280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Djokovic rubbed Federer's back to pacify the pain and laughed off with him on the funny incident along with the crowd.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Serb said "his heart stopped for like three seconds" as the pair spoke about the incident on the bench.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Well, that explains THAT, then. <a href="https://twitter.com/rogerfederer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RogerFederer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DjokerNole?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DjokerNole</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Fedovic?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Fedovic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Djokerer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Djokerer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LaverCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LaverCup</a> <a href="https://t.co/GGxp4qmTkD">pic.twitter.com/GGxp4qmTkD</a></p>
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/LaverCup/status/1043330809749532673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p><em>Watch related videos:</em></p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">First set to <a href="https://twitter.com/rogerfederer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RogerFederer</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/DjokerNole?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DjokerNole</a> 7-6(5) over Anderson &amp; Sock. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LaverCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LaverCup</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Fedovic?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Fedovic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Djokerer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Djokerer</a> <a href="https://t.co/71yhnrBETf">pic.twitter.com/71yhnrBETf</a></p>
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/LaverCup/status/1043340315338465280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I feel like Rog has spent the last half hour explaining why all those charts on Twitter saying Nole is the GOAT are wrong. 🐐🚫🤣 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Federer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Federer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Djokovic?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Djokovic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LaverCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LaverCup</a> <a href="https://t.co/whRh7xTHjV">pic.twitter.com/whRh7xTHjV</a></p>
— Tennis Inside Out (@TennisInsideOut) <a href="https://twitter.com/TennisInsideOut/status/1043242473932382209?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Yeah they did! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamEurope2018?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamEurope2018</a> are getting their bench game on! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LaverCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LaverCup</a> <a href="https://t.co/FKvfxIyQys">pic.twitter.com/FKvfxIyQys</a></p>
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/LaverCup/status/1043236816189566982?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We love a match tiebreaker at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LaverCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LaverCup</a>!<a href="https://twitter.com/KAndersonATP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KAndersonATP</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/JackSock?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JackSock</a> claim the second set 6-3 to push Match 4 into a deciding 'breaker. <a href="https://t.co/nEQyo9PClf">pic.twitter.com/nEQyo9PClf</a></p>
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/LaverCup/status/1043347593919713280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>The Laver Cup is an international indoor hard court men's tennis tournament between two teams: Team Europe and Team World, the latter of which is composed of players from non-European countries.&nbsp;</p>

<p>This is the second edition of the tournament, which held annually and takes place two weeks after the US Open, with the location rotating.&nbsp;</p>

<p>This time it is scheduled in Chicago from September 21-23, 2018, at the United Center.&nbsp;</p>


The Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic accidentally hit his Swiss partner Roger Federer while playing Laver Cup doubles match against Jack Sock and Kevin Anderson of Team World, a match which was the talk of the town since the schedule was announced.

The Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic accidentally hit his Swiss partner Roger Federer while playing Laver Cup doubles match against Jack Sock and Kevin Anderson of Team World, a match which was the talk of the town since the schedule was announced. Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer of Team Europe paired up for the men's doubles match, which they eventually lost 6-7, 6-3, 10-6. Despite the loss, the Serbian and Swiss had a fun moment when Djoko accidentally struck the ball on Federer's back in the third game. Watch the video: Well, that was AWKWARD 😳 pic.twitter.com/WHJKFL56qD — Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 22, 2018 × Djokovic rubbed Federer's back to pacify the pain and laughed off with him on the funny incident along with the crowd. The Serb said "his heart stopped for like three seconds" as the pair spoke about the incident on the bench. Well, that explains THAT, then. @RogerFederer @DjokerNole#Fedovic #Djokerer #LaverCup pic.twitter.com/GGxp4qmTkD — Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 22, 2018 × Watch related videos: First set to @RogerFederer & @DjokerNole 7-6(5) over Anderson & Sock. #LaverCup #Fedovic #Djokerer pic.twitter.com/71yhnrBETf — Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 22, 2018 × I feel like Rog has spent the last half hour explaining why all those charts on Twitter saying Nole is the GOAT are wrong. 🐐🚫🤣 #Federer #Djokovic #LaverCup pic.twitter.com/whRh7xTHjV — Tennis Inside Out (@TennisInsideOut) September 21, 2018 × Yeah they did! #TeamEurope2018 are getting their bench game on! #LaverCup pic.twitter.com/FKvfxIyQys — Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 21, 2018 × We love a match tiebreaker at #LaverCup!@KAndersonATP & @JackSock claim the second set 6-3 to push Match 4 into a deciding 'breaker. pic.twitter.com/nEQyo9PClf — Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 22, 2018 × The Laver Cup is an international indoor hard court men's tennis tournament between two teams: Team Europe and Team World, the latter of which is composed of players from non-European countries. This is the second edition of the tournament, which held annually and takes place two weeks after the US Open, with the location rotating. This time it is scheduled in Chicago from September 21-23, 2018, at the United Center.

Awkward: Novak Djokovic accidentally hits teammate Roger Federer during Laver Cup doubles clash, watch video

<p>US&nbsp;Open champion Naomi Osaka stormed past Italy's Camila Giorgi 6-2, 6-3 on Saturday to reach the final of the Pan Pacific Open, where she will face Karolina Pliskova.</p>

<p>Osaka's victory in front of an expectant home crowd was her 10th in a row and did not look in doubt from the moment she pounded down a huge ace with her first serve of the match.</p>

<p>The 20-year-old, who became Japan's first ever Grand Slam singles champion in New York two weeks ago, hit a further eight aces to overwhelm world number 37 Giorgi.</p>

<p>Osaka has carried the poise and power that saw her overcome Serena Williams in the Flushing Meadows final across the Pacific with her and, helped by eight double-faults from Giorgi, wrapped up the victory in just 72 minutes.</p>

<p>A runner up at this event two years ago, Osaka has not dropped a set so far this week and has had her service broken just once.</p>

<p>She will face world number eight Pliskova in the final after the Czech outlasted Croatia's Donna Vekic 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in a topsy-turvy match that lasted over two hours.</p>

<p>Pliskova has spent more time on court than any other player at this tournament despite a first-round bye and was once again dragged into a long contest by a dogged Vekic.</p>

<p>The former world number one started as if intent on finishing the contest as quickly as possible and stormed into an early 4-0 lead before wrapping up the first set in under half an hour.</p>

<p>Vekic, though, had defeated top 10 players Sloane Stephens and Caroline Garcia on route to the last four and recovered from an early break of serve in the second set to secure two breaks of her own.</p>

<p>Pliskova looked tired but dug deep in the third set and the quality of her superior hitting eventually told as she broke Vekic's resolve.</p>

<p>Currently, just outside the top eight qualifying places for the WTA Finals in Singapore, Pliskova has now spent 420 minutes on court in Tokyo compared to 222 minutes for Osaka.</p>


US Open champion Naomi Osaka stormed past Italy's Camila Giorgi 6-2, 6-3 on Saturday to reach the final of the Pan Pacific Open, where she will face Karolina Pliskova.

US Open champion Naomi Osaka stormed past Italy's Camila Giorgi 6-2, 6-3 on Saturday to reach the final of the Pan Pacific Open, where she will face Karolina Pliskova. Osaka's victory in front of an expectant home crowd was her 10th in a row and did not look in doubt from the moment she pounded down a huge ace with her first serve of the match. The 20-year-old, who became Japan's first ever Grand Slam singles champion in New York two weeks ago, hit a further eight aces to overwhelm world number 37 Giorgi. Osaka has carried the poise and power that saw her overcome Serena Williams in the Flushing Meadows final across the Pacific with her and, helped by eight double-faults from Giorgi, wrapped up the victory in just 72 minutes. A runner up at this event two years ago, Osaka has not dropped a set so far this week and has had her service broken just once. She will face world number eight Pliskova in the final after the Czech outlasted Croatia's Donna Vekic 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in a topsy-turvy match that lasted over two hours. Pliskova has spent more time on court than any other player at this tournament despite a first-round bye and was once again dragged into a long contest by a dogged Vekic. The former world number one started as if intent on finishing the contest as quickly as possible and stormed into an early 4-0 lead before wrapping up the first set in under half an hour. Vekic, though, had defeated top 10 players Sloane Stephens and Caroline Garcia on route to the last four and recovered from an early break of serve in the second set to secure two breaks of her own. Pliskova looked tired but dug deep in the third set and the quality of her superior hitting eventually told as she broke Vekic's resolve. Currently, just outside the top eight qualifying places for the WTA Finals in Singapore, Pliskova has now spent 420 minutes on court in Tokyo compared to 222 minutes for Osaka.

Osaka wins 10th straight match to power into Tokyo final

<p>Simona Halep believes this year's French Open victory has helped justify her position as the women's world number one, with the Romanian saying she was now playing pressure-free tennis and motivated to add more Grand Slam titles to her resume.</p>

<p>Speaking to a small gathering of reporters in a phone interview on Friday, the 26-year-old also earmarked US&nbsp;Open champion Naomi Osaka as a huge prospect for the future after the Japanese player made her major breakthrough in New York.</p>

<p>"My dream was to become number one and I managed that last year and then my goal was to win a Grand Slam because some consider that a sign of being a true number one," Halep, who has topped the rankings for 46 weeks in total, explained.</p>

<p>"So my motivation was to win a major after I reached the top of the rankings and now I feel relaxed after achieving both. I am still motivated to win every match and now the pressure feels off, I can just feel the pleasure of playing."</p>

<p>Halep knows all too well the pain of losing a Grand Slam final after suffering three failures in as many title matches before she rallied past American Sloane Stephens in Paris to prevail 3-6 6-4 6-1 on her favourite clay surface in June.</p>

<p>The mental and physical exertion of that triumph seemed to take a toll on the base-liner midway through the season but Halep believes her form in North America indicated she was close to playing her best tennis.</p>

<p>"It wasn't a huge disaster after I won the French Open. I won in Canada and reached the final in Cincinnati in consecutive weeks," she said.</p>

<p>"That meant a lot to me and gave me confidence to believe my level is still there, but in the Grand Slams... at Wimbledon I was really tired and emotional, and grass is always difficult for me.</p>

<p>"I did have a match point in the third round (loss to Hsieh Su-wei) and Kaia Kanepi just played really well at the US&nbsp;Open and I just couldn't put it together to win the match or make it closer," she added of her first-round loss in New York.</p>

<p>"I feel my form is really good now but you never know, we'll see... I am just trying to stay focused and do my best."</p>

<p><strong>Gender Parity</strong></p>

<p>Osaka became Japan's first ever Grand Slam champion with her impressive win over Serena Williams in a US&nbsp;Open final marred by accusations of sexism towards the umpire by the American after she was warned three times for various infringements.</p>

<p>Halep steered clear of commenting directly about the second set incidents but felt that women and men were generally treated equally by officials on the tennis court.</p>

<p>"I don't really see a difference between men's and women's tennis," Halep added.</p>

<p>"I don't really want to comment on this (the US&nbsp;Open final) but everyone gets the same thing. I have been fined for smashing my racket. The umpires respect the rules and I don't really have much to add as it feels the same for me."</p>

<p>Despite being just 20-year-old, Osaka managed to stay calm enough to complete a 6-2 6-4 victory over the 23-times Grand Slam champion, a performance that Halep believed made the Japanese player a big threat on the circuit.</p>

<p>"Osaka just won a Grand Slam. She's a very good player, she's very young and very powerful, has a great future ahead and will definitely be strong at the WTA Finals," Halep added of the elite eight-woman event taking place in Singapore next month.</p>

<p>Halep has already qualified for the season-ending tournament which will leave Singapore for Shenzhen in 2019 after a five-year run in Southeast Asia, with the Romanian hoping to at least reach the semi-finals after three straight group stage exits.</p>

<p>"The WTA Finals are really tough as they come right at the end of the season and you need to put all of your energy and everything together to play well," said Halep, who lost in the final of the event on her first appearance in 2014.</p>

<p>"I haven't managed to do that in the last three years, so my goal is to just get out of the group stage and into the semi-finals. But I know this will be difficult."</p>


Simona Halep believes this year's French Open victory has helped justify her position as the women's world number one, with the Romanian saying she was now playing pressure-free tennis and motivated to add more Grand Slam titles to her resume.

Simona Halep believes this year's French Open victory has helped justify her position as the women's world number one, with the Romanian saying she was now playing pressure-free tennis and motivated to add more Grand Slam titles to her resume. Speaking to a small gathering of reporters in a phone interview on Friday, the 26-year-old also earmarked US Open champion Naomi Osaka as a huge prospect for the future after the Japanese player made her major breakthrough in New York. "My dream was to become number one and I managed that last year and then my goal was to win a Grand Slam because some consider that a sign of being a true number one," Halep, who has topped the rankings for 46 weeks in total, explained. "So my motivation was to win a major after I reached the top of the rankings and now I feel relaxed after achieving both. I am still motivated to win every match and now the pressure feels off, I can just feel the pleasure of playing." Halep knows all too well the pain of losing a Grand Slam final after suffering three failures in as many title matches before she rallied past American Sloane Stephens in Paris to prevail 3-6 6-4 6-1 on her favourite clay surface in June. The mental and physical exertion of that triumph seemed to take a toll on the base-liner midway through the season but Halep believes her form in North America indicated she was close to playing her best tennis. "It wasn't a huge disaster after I won the French Open. I won in Canada and reached the final in Cincinnati in consecutive weeks," she said. "That meant a lot to me and gave me confidence to believe my level is still there, but in the Grand Slams... at Wimbledon I was really tired and emotional, and grass is always difficult for me. "I did have a match point in the third round (loss to Hsieh Su-wei) and Kaia Kanepi just played really well at the US Open and I just couldn't put it together to win the match or make it closer," she added of her first-round loss in New York. "I feel my form is really good now but you never know, we'll see... I am just trying to stay focused and do my best." Gender Parity Osaka became Japan's first ever Grand Slam champion with her impressive win over Serena Williams in a US Open final marred by accusations of sexism towards the umpire by the American after she was warned three times for various infringements. Halep steered clear of commenting directly about the second set incidents but felt that women and men were generally treated equally by officials on the tennis court. "I don't really see a difference between men's and women's tennis," Halep added. "I don't really want to comment on this (the US Open final) but everyone gets the same thing. I have been fined for smashing my racket. The umpires respect the rules and I don't really have much to add as it feels the same for me." Despite being just 20-year-old, Osaka managed to stay calm enough to complete a 6-2 6-4 victory over the 23-times Grand Slam champion, a performance that Halep believed made the Japanese player a big threat on the circuit. "Osaka just won a Grand Slam. She's a very good player, she's very young and very powerful, has a great future ahead and will definitely be strong at the WTA Finals," Halep added of the elite eight-woman event taking place in Singapore next month. Halep has already qualified for the season-ending tournament which will leave Singapore for Shenzhen in 2019 after a five-year run in Southeast Asia, with the Romanian hoping to at least reach the semi-finals after three straight group stage exits. "The WTA Finals are really tough as they come right at the end of the season and you need to put all of your energy and everything together to play well," said Halep, who lost in the final of the event on her first appearance in 2014. "I haven't managed to do that in the last three years, so my goal is to just get out of the group stage and into the semi-finals. But I know this will be difficult."

Simona Halep feels Grand Slam triumph justifies number one ranking

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Awkward: Novak Djokovic accidentally hits teammate Roger Federer during Laver Cup doubles clash, watch video

Osaka wins 10th straight match to power into Tokyo final

Simona Halep feels Grand Slam triumph justifies number one ranking