Defending champion and world No 1 Novak Djokovic survived a five-set near five-hour epic against Lorenzo Musetti in the latest-ever finish to a match in French Open history.
The reigning champion showcased the iron will that has made him one of the game’s greatest players to avoid defeat in a thrilling contest that got underway at 10.40pm local time on Saturday.
Djokovic went on to seal a marathon 7-5 6-7 (6-8) 2-6 6-3 6-0 comeback victory over 22-year-old Italian Musetti to advance to the last 16 in a match that lasted four hours and 29 minutes and did not conclude until Sunday after 3am local time – shattering the tournament’s previous latest finish of 1.26am.
The Serbian claimed his 369th Grand Slam match victory to move level with Roger Federer at the top of the all-time list.
Novak Djokovic reaches last 16 of French Open for 18th time after 3:08am Parisian epic, while Felix Auger-Aliassime sets up meeting with Carlos Alcaraz.
Djokovic’s last-night win over Musetti breaks the record for the latest match ever played at Roland Garros.
The previous record was 01.26 finish when Rafael Nadal defeated Jannik Sinner in the 2020 quarter-finals.
“He played a fantastic match and came very close to victory,” Djokovic said on court.
“I was in great difficulties but thanks to your support in the fourth set, I became a different player. It was perhaps the best match I have played here.”
The 37-year-old recovered from an early loss of serve and went toe-to-toe with the Italian in the draining first set before edging in front with a crucial break thanks to some incredible defending.
Djokovic was soon in cruise control in the second set with a spectacular drop that gave him a 3-1 lead.
But Musetti broke back and drew level at 4-4 before saving a set point in a high-quality tie-break to level the match.
The 30th seed then took his game up a few notches to break and surge ahead in the third set, before sealing it comfortably as alarm bells began to ring for a weary-looking Djokovic, who was forced to dig deep to haul himself level.
Djokovic, who ranted about the state of the surface, was also called for a time violation by umpire Adel Nour in the decider, losing his first serve. He pleaded, “Have a little bit of understanding.”
Nevertheless, he rediscovered his rhythm to bagel his exhausted opponent at the ungodly hour of 3.08am.
“Who’s going to sleep now?” Djokovic added. “It’s impossible to sleep, so much adrenaline. If you’re having a party, I’m coming.”
The 24-time Grand Slam champion next faces Argentine 23rd seed Francisco Cerundolo, who advanced to the fourth round for the second consecutive year.
Djokovic, the three-time Roland Garros champion, must reach the final just to have a chance of remaining No 1 in the rankings, but Jannik Sinner is guaranteed to become the 29th player in history (since 1973) to rise to top spot if he reaches the final on Sunday.
Source: Skysports