Novak Djokovic had the perfect start to his 2024 Roland Garros fourth-round match, but things then went south before he engineered an insane comeback win.
The last time the Serbian legend played a tennis match at the Court Philippe-Chatrier was against Lorenzo Musetti in a crazy match that finished at 3 a.m. local time. Djokovic kept a positive spirit after the match, but he was in no way happy about the way it went, especially since he had to play five sets as well.
Many wondered how his next match would go because a match like that had to leave some kind of impact on his body. When he stepped out to face Francisco Cerundolo, the 24-time major winner looked superb.
The first set was a rather swift affair as he won it 6-1. The set lasted 41 minutes, so it wasn't quick, but he dominated, especially in crucial points. In the second set, things started to go wrong for Djokovic because the Serbian sustained what appeared to be a knee injury.
He took a medical timeout, received a massage, and got a pill, after which he looked a bit timid but, for the most part, relatively capable of playing. He still got outplayed down the stretch to lose that set 5-7, mostly because he was really cautious in terms of the injury, and things only got worse after that.
His movement wasn't as sharp, he looked in pain, he missed more, and Cerundolo was applying heavy pressure. The world no. 1 looked on the verge of retiring for a good portion of that set, but he didn't do it.
He kept playing, but it was pretty clear that it was unlikely to work out positively for him as he simply wasn't the same. Ever since he grabbed his knee in the second set, the Serbian didn't look like himself.
Towards the end of the fourth set, he even started limping a bit, which paints a clear picture. And yet he found a way to win that set. It was mostly due to Cerundolo completely losing focus and then losing more and more points towards the end of the set.
Djokovic, to his credit, also found some spectacular shots and a lot of energy out of nowhere, which certainly contributed to the comeback efforts. The final set opened with an early break for Djokovic, but Cerundolo broke back to make it 2-2.
The 37-year-old also had a nasty fall early in the fifth set due to the slippery courts, and he wasn't happy about it. Even so, he played pretty well, keeping his serve with ease. At 4-3, Djokovic battled his way to a break point and converted it to take a 5-3 lead.
He then closed out the incredible comeback win. It took him four and half hours and the final score was 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, and he will now play in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Roland Garros.
Novak Djokovic vs Francisco Cerundolo Match Stats:
| Novak Djokovic | 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 | Francisco Cerundolo |
| 6 | Aces | 3 |
| 2 | Double Faults | 2 |
| 67% | First Serve % | 65% |
| 69% (85/123) | Points Won After First Serve % | 61% (58/95) |
| 50% (30/60) | Points Won After Second Serve % | 63% (32/51) |
| 55% (6/11) | Break Point Conversion | 21% (4/19) |
| 52 | Winners | 68 |
| 46 | Unforced Errors | 45 |
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