Djokovic wins hard-fought victory over Yunchaoketi in China Open Real Madrid submits Negrira's file to UEFA against Barcelona and Neto returns to Juventus and feels a positive impact with Spalletti

Veteran Serbian star Novak Djokovic achieved a marathon victory over his Chinese rival Bo Yunchaoketi in the China Open Tennis Championship, on Friday.

Djokovic turned a set deficit into winning two sets to one, after a dramatic scenario that almost knocked the Serbian star out of the round of 16 early in the tournament.

Djokovic extended his streak of victories in the Chinese Championship to 31 matches with this difficult victory.

Djokovic said after the match: “I had to play at a very high level and serve well in the decisive moments. “His performance was very strong, and I had real difficulty finding holes in his game, and he directed his serves with great accuracy towards difficult angles.”

He added: “He deserves praise for his good performance.” The atmosphere was amazing; The stadium's stands were filled with fans again for three hours... What a wonderful match I participated in.”

If Djokovic wants to win another title, he is likely to face Alexander Zverev, the US Open champion, in the next match, as the German player will meet Shang Junzheng, on Saturday, to reserve a place in the quarter-finals.

A state of relief prevails within the Spanish club Real Madrid, after it handed over the file of the Negrera case, in which arch-rival Barcelona is accused, to the European Football Association (UEFA).

Barcelona was a party to the case that was raised a few years ago regarding the nature of its cooperation with the Vice-President of the Technical Committee of Referees in the Spanish Federation, who left his position.

The Spanish newspaper "Mundo Deportivo" reported that UEFA's confirmation of its receipt of the Negrera case file goes beyond simply adding information to the file that was already opened in 2023, which UEFA does not intend to close before a court ruling is issued in Spain regarding it.

However, Real Madrid officials believe that this comprehensive report - which exceeds 50,000 pages and was submitted by the club on June 17 - will be a crucial element for UEFA to take action against Barcelona. The European Union now has the necessary information about the case, information that the Commission lacked until now.

This information also explains why the case file remains pending without treatment until that moment.

The report explained that Real Madrid's satisfaction stems from the availability of sufficient evidence to move in accordance with the regulations, which stipulate the possibility of imposing penalties on any club that is directly or indirectly involved in any purposeful activity to manipulate and influence matches, whether locally or internationally, which may lead to the exclusion of this club from the Champions League for one season, in addition to a financial fine.

Real Madrid also believes that Barcelona's behavior of paying money to the Vice-Chairman of the Referees Committee over a period of 15 years is a serious violation of European Union (UEFA) regulations.

The Royal Club is seeking to take legal measures regarding the matter in Spain, as it has joined as a party to the case, and it is considered that the file submitted to UEFA justifies this step in order to take disciplinary measures against the Catalan club.

Brazilian Neto, Juventus goalkeeper, admitted that the team has changed a lot since the last time he played there in 2017, but he feels a very positive influence with coach Luciano Spalletti.

The goalkeeper joined the team as a free agent last week, after it was announced that Camil Grabara would miss the rest of the season due to a tear in the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee.

This led to Neto's return to Juventus, where he previously played from 2015 to 2017, although he notes that major changes have occurred at the club.

The Brazilian player told Sky Sport Italia: “When I received a call from Juventus, it was the first time in my life that I was able to stay at home, enjoy my time with my family and spend some time alone.”

He added: “I was watching the Davis Cup match between Brazil and Switzerland, but when Juventus called me, I did not hesitate for a moment.”

He also said: “A lot has changed since his departure, as he played during that period for clubs such as Arsenal and Barcelona.”

He continued: “Returning to a place you know well means that you will not need time to adapt. However, we were previously used to training at Vinovo, so the Continassa complex is new to us; “What they have succeeded in building here is truly amazing, and the club deserves all the credit.”

He said: “I have always wanted to return to Italy for a few years, so I am very happy and ready to take on this challenge. “I had never worked with Spalletti before, but he left a very positive impression on me.”