“Things could have been managed differently” by the tournament organization, but “I don’t want to get into that debate,” the Serbian simply said.
But beyond the anecdote, The victory against Musetti allowed Djokovic to equal the Swiss Roger Federer’s record of 369 Grand Slam victories and reach the quarterfinals of the Parisian tournament for the 15th consecutive time.
Everything could have changed if we had lost to Musetti, which would have given him his worst result at Roland Garros since 2009.
Tomorrow afternoon, against the Argentine Franisco Cerúndolo, Djokovic He will be able to continue expanding his legend and seek his 25th Grand Slam title, which would make him the tennis player with the most ‘greats’ in history, surpassing the Australian Margaret Court, with whom he is currently tied.
Despite the numbers, everything seemed to indicate that Djokovic was perhaps not in a position to retain his crown in Paris.
The Serbian showed up in Paris not only without having won any title this season, something that had only happened in his career in 2022, but he had also not played in any final, with the semifinals in Australia, Monte Carlo and Geneva as his best results.
“Of course I’m worried. I haven’t played well at all this year,” he said after losing in the Swiss city against the Czech Tomas Machac, 44th in the world, in a match in which he even asked for medical assistance and then explained that he had had stomach problems.
In the last tournament before Roland Garros, the Masters 1000 in Rome, Djokovic lost in the third round against the Chilean Alejandro Tabilo and the plan of having returned to Belgrade to train after being eliminated in Monte Carlo did not seem to have worked for him, skipping the Masters 1000 in Madrid.
But after a week in Paris, his rivals already know: the king has no intention of abdicating easily.
“He is 37 years old, has 24 Grand Slam titles, it is two in the morning and he fights like a warrior,” said former French tennis player Fabrice Santoro, now a television commentator, highlighting Djokovic’s competitive spirit.
“He’s like Lebron James, who is 39 years old but fights until the end, gives everything and loves that. It’s incredible to see something like that,” said another legendary former tennis player, John McEnroe, also on television.
A competitive spirit that Djokovic shows every time he is in a major: “Mentally, I focus almost exclusively on the Grand Slams… and this year at the Olympic Games,” said ‘Nole’ last Thursday after beating the Spanish Roberto Carballés.
“I know what I am still capable of doing in the Grand Slams and that leads me to play my best tennis. If I still play at this level it is because I really want to make history in this sport,” he added. “In my head I have the conviction that I can still win another” Grand Slam, he reiterated.
Carlos Alcaraz won comfortably and is still in the race
Meanwhile, the Spanish Carlos Alcaraz (No. 3) qualified for the quarterfinals after winning today on the Philippe Chatrier court to the Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime (N.21) in three sets, by a comfortable 6-3, 6-3 and 6-1.
In this way, the 21-year-old young man from Murcia reaches the quarterfinals of the big event of the clay season for the third consecutive time.
“We must appreciate that a quarterfinal in a Grand Slam is a very good result but here, if we think that it is only a good result, we would be mediocre, we always want more,” commented the Murcian at a press conference.
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Reuters
Last year, Alcaraz reached the semifinals, where he lost to Serbian Novak Djokovic, subsequent champion of the event.
“We seek to win the tournament: anything other than winning the tournament is a bittersweet taste,” he added.
Alcaraz was very solid with his game, playing his best tennis so far in the tournament and dismantling the Canadian with 34 winners in a match that lasted two hours and 20 minutes.
“As the rounds go by, I find myself becoming more and more comfortable with the level of my forehand. Like all players, once the rounds go by you find yourself getting better and more comfortable on the court, with a fairly good level. well,” he said about his evolution in the tournament.
Auger-Aliassime He also seemed physically weakened at times and in the second set, with 3-2 down on the scoreboard, he was treated by the physiotherapist for some discomfort in his left thigh.
Alcaraz, Former world number 1 and winner of two Grand Slam tournaments, He will face the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas for a place in the semifinals, whom he defeated on the five previous occasions they met, including in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros last year, in three sets, 6-2, 6-1 and 7-6 (7/5).
“He still hasn’t beaten me in the games we’ve played, I’ve won them all. It doesn’t mean I have to play at 50%, but I know what I have to do tactically,” he said about the Greek, who he said has the “key.” ” to win it.
In the women’s box, Iga Swiatek, defending champion, He led the favorites’ advance to the quarterfinals in a doubleheader, after Novak Djokovic sealed an epic victory in a match that ended at dawn.
With Roland Garros still boiling after the marathon that marked the last Grand Slam final on clay, at three in the morning (local time), Swiatek, first seed, offered a master class for defeat Anastasia Potapova 6-0 and 6-0 in 40 minutes.
The American Coco Gauff was not as ruthless as its Polish rival, but it was just as effective in beating Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-1 and 6-2 in one hour, before Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova overwhelmed Serbia’s Olga Danilovic 6-4, 6-2.
Also, the Tunisian Ons Jabeur continued her career towards her first Grand Slam by defeating the Danish Clara Tauson (6-4 6-4)
Source: Ambito
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
