- Novak Djokovic won 6-1 5-7 3-6 7-5 6-3 against Francisco Cerundolo
- Djokovic struggled with an injury but still managed to prevail in French Open
- It remains to be seen whether he will be fit enough to play in the quarter-finals
Novak Djokovic’s record-breaking 370th Grand Slam victory may just have been his most unlikely.
Hobbled by a right knee injury, raging at the state of the court, trailing by two sets to one and by a break, the 37-year-old survived by the almost supernatural power of his will.
At 3.07am on Sunday morning he had levelled Roger Federer’s total of 369 major wins with a five-set comeback against Lorenzo Musetti.
And on Monday he made that record his own with a 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 win against Argentine No23 seed Francisco Cerundolo. At four hours and 39 minutes it was Djokovic’s longest ever match at the French Open.
A remarkable victory, but at what cost? Djokovic admitted he had been close to pulling out, and will have further tests on his knee on Tuesday.
‘For the last couple weeks I have had slight discomfort in the right knee,’ he revealed – it was the first we had heard of this.
‘But I was playing with it and no issues until today. Of course the late finish from few nights ago didn’t help.
‘In the third game of the second set, I slipped, one of the many times I slipped and fell today. That affected the knee.
‘At one point I didn’t know, to be honest, whether I should continue. I got medication and then, after the third set, I asked for more.
‘That was the maximum dose that kicked in after 30 to 45 minutes, which was just about the end of the fourth when things started to really improve.
‘Basically the whole fifth set was almost without any pain. But the effect of the medication will not last for too long. We have done some tests with the doctor after the match. Some positive news but also some concerns, so let’s see tomorrow.’
Djokovic blamed his injury on the conditions of the court. He felt the surface was too slippery and asked for it to be swept more regularly than the standard once per set.
During the match, he summoned tournament supervisor to the court Wayne McKewen to answer his complaints.
‘Explain to me, why is it such a big issue to get people to sweep the court?’ said Djokovic.
‘I screwed up my knee because I made a quick move. I’m sliding and slipping all the time.
‘The only thing I am asking is if every second changeover you can sweep the court.’
‘I’ve asked and the groundsman said the court is normal, for them,’ said McKewan.
‘For them?! I’m telling you as a player it’s not OK and you’re going to go with the grounds people that never play tennis. They know better than me the court is good or not? Ridiculous. Completely ridiculous.’
Back to the tennis. Cerundolo did his best not to win the first set, letting eight break points go by. In the end the decisive break was gifted to him by Djokovic.
The Serb’s physical condition deteriorated fast after that. He hopped and stumbled and – most shockingly, stood helpless as balls flew past him.
For those sniggering at the back of the class: yes, Djokovic has been known for pantomime exaggeration of injuries in the past; accused of lulling his opponents into a false sense of security. But this was the real thing.
He could not load his weight on the knee on the backhand and when forced wide on the forehand side he could not push off that leg to recover court position. Normally running down dropshots he is like a panther chasing its prey; here he looked more like someone jogging for a bus.
At two sets to one down he had that final dose of painkillers and anti-inflammatories. Then it became a race against time: could Djokovic cling on until the medication kicked in?
It was a close-run thing. Had Cerundolo held for 5-3 in the fourth it might have been too far back. But the 25-year-old played a sloppy game and was broken. Then it was like the Hammer Horror film where the prone monster suddenly snaps its eyes open; the beast had awoken.
Djokovic went into lockdown mode, relentlessly trading backhand to backhand to avoid being pulled wide to that troublesome forehand wing.
He roared as he took the fourth set and forged 2-0 ahead in the fifth. Cerundolo belatedly recovered his nerve and there was time for another slip, a heavy fall, and a double dose of sarcasm from Djokovic: ‘Well done supervisors, ground staff, everyone, the court is not slippery at all.’
With righteous anger and adrenalin coursing through his veins, Djokovic was moving almost freely and with awesome inevitability he finished his opponent off and booked a place in the quarter-finals against No7 seed Casper Ruud.
As remarkable as Djokovic was, Cerundolo let him off the hook. Ruud is a two-time finalist here and will be far less accommodating.
All Djokovic can do is wait for the results of that scan on his knee.