Djokovic Rallies Again, Gets Ruud Rematch At French Open; Zverev Wins In 5 Over Rune
For the second straight match Novak Djokovic had to dig deep and overcome a 2-1 set deficit to stay alive at the French Open. Monday’s victim was Francisco Cerundolo who went down to the defending champion 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in 4 hours, 39 minutes.
The win gave Djokovic an all-time record 370 Grand Slam victories and 59 career Grand Slam quarterfinals.
Djokovic cruised in the opening set and then admitted on court he “screwed up” his right knee early in the second. The Serb received treatment and that’s when the Argentine took over, taking the second and the this and then building a 4-2 lead in the fourth.
Cerundolo and his mighty forehand couldn’t hold the lead. Djokovic battled back and began moving like a teenager and hitting lines like the legend he is. Djokovic would end up winning 11 of the last 15 games to win his second straight 5-setter in 36 hours.
“I started feeling the pain [in set two] and asked for the physio treatment and the medical timeout and tried to take care of it,” Djokovic said to the ATP. “It did disrupt me definitely in play. For two sets, two sets and a half, I didn’t want to stay in the rally too long. Every time he would make sudden drop shots or change directions, I would not be feeling comfortable to do the running.
“At one point I didn’t know, to be honest, whether I should continue or not with what’s happening.”
Djokovic had a late-night 3:06am finish Sunday Saturday night in 4 hours, 29 minutes. Today, he got done earlier but with the knee it and his 37-year-old body, he will have to play Wednesday, Friday and then Sunday to capture No. 25.
“I didn’t feel that the last match has affected me so much that I’m unable to run or to sustain the level I played for over four-and-a-half hours,” said Djokovic. “It was longer than the match against Musetti. So physically I’m OK. Thankfully I was able to recover quickly.”
And the road won’t be easy. On Wednesday Djokovic will face 2-time finalist Casper Ruud who got over on Taylor Fritz 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Ruud is back into his third straight French quarterfinal and he’s 16-2 in his last 18 in Paris. But he lost to Djokovic last year in the final but this year he beat the Serb in the Monte Carlo semifinal.
Alex de Minaur advanced to his first French Open quarterfinal ousting Daniil Medvedev 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3.
“Alex played better,” Medvedev said. “To be honest, I’m disappointed to lose, but I don’t have anything to tell myself in a tough way like I was not a good attitude today or I was not fighting until the end. I did all of this. He played better. My best was not enough today, so looking forward to the next ones.”
Into his second Slam quarterfinal, the Australian will take on the Alexander Zverev winner who rallied past Holger Rune 4-6, 6-1, 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-2. It was Zverev’s second 5-setter of the event and tonight it ended at 1:40am, the second latest finish ever at the French Open. De Minaur will be up next for Zverev.
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