Novak Djokovic wins late-night Roland Garros thriller over Lorenzo ...

Djokovic edges Musetti in marathon late-night thriller

Serbian keeps alive hopes of remaining World No. 1 after Roland Garros

June 02, 2024

Novak Djokovic has produced an epic comeback to inflict more Roland Garros heartache on young Italian Lorenzo Musetti and keep alive his chances of remaining World No. 1 at the conclusion of the French Open.

After blowing a set point for a two-sets lead, 37-year-old Djokovic found himself down two-sets-to-one around 1:45 a.m. against an opponent 15 years younger and seemingly with fresher legs.

But the Serbian, who in 2021 rallied from two sets down to deny Musetti a stunning upset in the Roland Garros fourth round, went into lockdown mode from the baseline to clinch a 7-5, 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 victory in four hours and 29 minutes. The third-round match finished at 3:08 a.m., shattering the tournament's previous latest finish of 1:25 a.m. 

Djokovic’s 369th Grand Slam match win moves him into a tie with Roger Federer for most wins at the majors.

Most Men's Singles Grand Slam Match Wins

Djokovic improved to 5-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Musetti, who claimed an upset win over the Serbian on clay at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in 2023.

Djokovic next faces Argentine 23rd seed Francisco Cerundolo, who has advanced to the fourth round for the second consecutive year. The three-time and defending Roland Garros champion must reach the final just to have a chance of remaining No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings at the conclusion of the tournament. Second seed Jannik Sinner is guaranteed to become the 29th player in history (since 1973) to rise to No. 1 if he reaches the final.

A tennis masterclass going in 5, and Djokovic wants to hear the crowd ????️#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/dPQXUFevKD

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 2, 2024

The match was pulsating for most of the journey, with Musetti’s majestic one-handed backhand holding its own against Djokovic’s renowned double-hander for the best part of four sets. Both players threw in a steady stream of drop shots that led to angled cat-and-mouse exchanges at the net.

The match began after 10:30 p.m. after Grigor Dimitrov’s match with Zizou Bergs was moved from an outside court to under the roof of Court Philippe-Chatrier as the match needed to be completed Saturday with the winner scheduled to play his fourth-round match Sunday.

Djokovic was in command of the match early. He led 4-1 in the second set and had a set point on serve in the second-set tie-break before finding himself down two-sets-to-one as the free-swinging Musetti rode his confidence and the crowd’s energy to what held promise of being his greatest victory.

Djokovic appeared to gain energy after securing a break midway through the fourth set, and finished the match seemingly in better shape than midway through. He also locked down from the baseline, allowing a tiring Musetti to spray a steady stream of unforced errors after he played so spectacularly for the first three sets.

In the third set Musetti dominated rallies of 5-8 shots, winning 13 of 17 battles of that length according to Infosys Stats. But in the final two sets Djokovic turned that mark on its head, edging Musetti 23-15 in that category.