Djokovic edges Musetti in marathon late-night thriller

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.