French Open 2024: Novak Djokovic never fails to put on a show (2024)

Always be wary of Novak Djokovic's body language. His outward signs of weakness must be treated with great caution. For over an hour and a half on Monday, June 3, the Serb showed the stigmata of suffering: grimaces, interrupted runs with a dejected look on his face, or a bending his back with his hands resting on his legs. And, above all, that right knee which seemed so troublesome from the second set onwards, to the point of repeatedly calling for medical aid on the Court Philippe-Chatrier. But once again in his long career, the world No. 1 finished the match bouncing, airy and elastic, and in the fifth set even delivered a winning volley from a near-miss.

At the end of an epic match lasting 4 hours and 39 minutes, in which he seemed on the verge of breaking down before his resurrection, Djokovic got the better of Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo (6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3). The three-time French Open winner (2016, 2021 and 2023) has now reached the quarter-finals once again. His 59^th Grand Slam quarter-final, an all-time record and his 15^th in a row at Roland-Garros, where he has made these courts his base camp since 2010. The man has stamina, and the same is true this year: He has just played his second five-set match, less than two days after his long battle with Lorenzo Musetti, which ended in the middle of the night on Sunday.

On court after the match on Monday evening, the Serb simply copied and pasted his post-match reaction to the Italian. Bravo to the opponent, then, and above all a thank you to the public, who were patted on the back: "As in the last match, the victory is your victory." In front of the stands, the Lazarus of this Roland-Garros found himself a little short of arguments to tell of his resurrection as the match progressed. "The only explanation as to how I won this match is you," he said. At match point, which ended with an error from Cerundolo, there was much applause for his victory, but also a few whistles here and there.

Emotional elevator

Later in the press conference, the "Djoker" spoke of his knee "injury" at the start of the second set, while remaining rather vague. He complained about the state of the court, which he had asked to be swept more frequently, without success. The clay court was too slippery according to him – "without wishing to point the finger at anyone" – and that caused a discomfort that had been latent in recent weeks to flare up again. According to Djokovic, a physiotherapist's intervention did not have much effect but medication did, which is why he came back to life in the middle of the fourth set.

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