Novak Djokovic battled injury and fatigue to survive a nearly five-hour, five-set battle at the French Open on Monday to win 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 against Francisco Cerundolo.
The 37-year-old Djokovic suffered a knee injury that forced him to take four medical timeouts but, despite limited movement, he refused to give up, trailing a point in the second set and then storming back to 2-4 down in the fourth to reach his 15th consecutive quarter-final in Paris.
The Serb, who is bidding for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title, has now won his 370th title overall, surpassing Swiss great Roger Federer.
“Once again, thank you so much. This victory, like the last match, is yours,” an exhausted Djokovic told the crowd in fluent French.
The 37-year-old showed no signs of fatigue from his marathon third-round win over Lorenzo Musetti, dominating clay-court specialist Cerundolo in the first set – another epic match that lasted almost five hours and finished in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Djokovic hurt his right knee early in his next match and required treatment on court, and he could be heard telling a physiotherapist, “I hurt my knee. I always slip and fall.”
After four matches, he complained to the tournament director about the state of the court, saying: “I want to say this as a player, this is not good.”
When the umpire told Djokovic that people felt the court surface was fine, the Serb yelled: “They know better than me if the court is good or not.”
He took the medicine again after Argentina’s 23rd seed Cernudolo converted his 13th break point to tie the match.
Cerundolo broke again early in the next set to take a 3-0 lead and comfortably lead the match, while Djokovic continued to limp between points and began to look at risk for the second straight game.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion looked exhausted after finishing his five-set match against Lorenzo Musetti just after 3 a.m. on Sunday, grumbling with his teammates in the player’s box and at times appearing close to giving up.
The finish looked in sight when Argentine hitter Cerundolo led 4-2 in the next set, but the 25-year-old squandered the advantage, holding at 6-5 with two big serves from Djokovic and a fine drop along the way before levelling the score.
After a fast start, Djokovic dropped serve, took a heavy fall during a point and yelled sarcastically about the conditions of Court Philippe Chatrier, saying: “Well done, coach and everyone. It’s not slippery at all.”
But Djokovic didn’t appear too hurt as he dived for a volley at the net, nearly doing the splits before landing on his stomach and winning another brilliant match.
The Serbs play Casper Rood A rematch of last year’s final will take place on Wednesday.
Ruud, the seventh seed from Norway, beat American Taylor Fritz 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals.
McEnroe: I’m fascinated that he keeps doing this!
John McEnroe Eurosport“I’ve been watching and playing tennis for over 50 years and I’ve never seen a match like this.
“The last time he won consecutive five-set matches was 12 years ago when he was 25 years old – the same age Cerundolo is now.”
“But how can this guy win a match at 37? He was playing until 3am. [on Sunday night]It’s really amazing!
Henman: Shock!
Former British No1 Tim Henman Eurosport“It’s just incredible. It’s amazing to see his level of tennis and his ability to deal with adversity and hit the best shots at the most important moments.”
“Part of me is standing here almost in shock. But why? This is what he does! It shouldn’t be surprising. I’ve seen it so many times.”
“He always finds a way to get the job done, which is why he’s one of the best players of all time. It was another incredible performance, and he played great in the rounds before that too.”
De Minaur makes history in Australia
Alex de Minaur He was cheered on by a passionate young fanbase when he beat Daniil Medvedev in Paris to reach his first quarter-final.
The Australian had put out a call on social media to find the young boy who was cheering him on with every point he won during his rain-interrupted third-round win over Jan-Lennard Struff.
And the boy had a front row seat at Court Suzanne Lenglen to watch his hero win 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals.
“He’s done a miracle. We might have to take him out on the tour every week,” the No. 11 seed said.
“No, we found him through the wonderful world of social media. We eventually found him. We brought him to the game. He came with all his buddies, his peers, his coaches. It was great to see him out there.”
“Also, even on that big court, you could hear him after every point. His voice is distinctive so it was great to watch.”
“He’ll be nearby, he’ll be hanging out with me tomorrow at practice and then of course he’ll be at the next game.”
It was a tough afternoon for fifth-seeded Medvedev, who won the first set with ease but developed severe blisters on his feet in the second that required extensive treatment.
But Medvedev did not blame the issue for his defeat.
He said, “No, not at all. I had blisters and calling a physiotherapist didn’t help, but the blisters were a little inflamed so they needed treatment.”
“No, Alex was better. Honestly, I’m disappointed that I lost, but I’m not going to be hard on myself and say that I didn’t have a good attitude today or that I didn’t fight until the end.”
“I did it all. He was better. My best wasn’t good enough today, so I’m looking forward to next time.”
What will be broadcast on Sky Sports Tennis?
You can watch some of the tennis world’s biggest stars in action ahead of Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam, in 2024. Live on Sky Sports They will compete throughout the grass court season.
- Stuttgart Open (ATP 250, featuring Andy Murray) – June 10-16
- Rosmalen Open (ATP/WTA 250) – June 10-16
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