- PSG were crowned European champions for first time after thrashing Inter Milan
- The final took place while Djokovic was in French Open action at Roland Garros
Tennis star Novak Djokovic has expressed his concern over the violent unrest that erupted in Paris following Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League victory on Saturday night.
PSG were crowned European champions for the first time after thrashing Inter Milan 5-0 in Munich – but the celebrations in the French capital quickly turned chaotic.
A teenager was stabbed to death, hundreds were arrested, and dozens were injured as violence broke out across the city.
The final took place while Djokovic was on court at Roland Garros, defeating Filip Misolic in the third round of the French Open.
Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, Djokovic revealed the chaotic scenes unfolding in Paris had nearly disrupted his return from the stadium.
The Serb said: ‘There was quite a debate in the locker room with the chief of security as to whether we should go to the hotel.
Novak Djokovic has expressed his concern over the violent unrest that erupted in Paris
Chaos erupted on the streets of Paris after PSG won the Champions League on Saturday
The final took place while Djokovic was on court at Roland Garros, defeating Filip Misolic (right)
‘At one point they were discussing whether we should stay at the rooms and hotels around Roland Garros, because where we are staying is quite close to the Arc de Triomphe.
‘It was quite a scene yesterday, there was a lot of trouble on the streets.
‘We barely made it to the hotel around 1am to be honest.
‘It was quite an adventure I must say. In the end we were good. It is a big thing for Paris.’
On the eve on the Champions League final, Djokovic pleaded with organisers of the French Open not to schedule his third-round match for Saturday night.
He said: ‘It’s going to be PSG that I will support. I will definitely watch it if I’m not playing [the] night session.’
‘Yeah, that will be nice. FYI, Roland Garros schedule…’
Meanwhile, the overnight unrest saw a 17-year-old stabbed to death and 559 people arrested.
A 23-year-old man riding a scooter in central Paris was also killed after being struck by a vehicle, according to the prosecutor’s office.
The chaos spilled into Sunday as clashes broke out between fans and riot police during PSG’s victory parade, with French president Emmanuel Macron condeming the violence.
