Novak Djokovic, the world’s top-ranked tennis player, faced a tough challenge in his fourth-round match at the French Open on Monday. Early in the second set, he was lying on his back, wincing in pain as a trainer worked on his injured right knee. Djokovic worried that he might have to quit the match.
Despite stumbling and limping around the court, and finding himself down a set and a break against his younger, eager opponent, Francisco Cerundolo, Djokovic fought back. He took the maximum allowed dose of pain medication, according to what a tournament doctor told him, to dull the pain and reduce inflammation in his knee.
Djokovic’s determination paid off, and he came back to win the match in five sets over about 4 1/2 hours. This was his second consecutive five-set comeback victory at the French Open. With this win, Djokovic broke a tie with Roger Federer for the most match wins (370) and quarterfinal appearances (59) at major tournaments.
However, Djokovic’s victory came at a cost. He said he wasn’t sure if his knee would be healthy enough for him to play in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. The knee had been bothering him for a couple of weeks, and it got worse after he tweaked it during the match against Cerundolo.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding his injury, Djokovic’s fighting spirit and experience shone through. He has a remarkable record in fifth sets, winning 40 out of 51 in his career, compared to Cerundolo’s 1-3 record.
Cerundolo praised Djokovic after the match, calling him “the toughest guy ever to play tennis” and noting how he always finds a way to come back and play his best in the toughest moments.
If Djokovic is able to play, he is set to face No. 7 seed Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals. Ruud, who defeated No. 12 Taylor Fritz in his fourth-round match, lost to Djokovic in last year’s French Open final.
In other quarterfinal matches, Alex de Minaur will face Alexander Zverev in the men’s draw, while Aryna Sabalenka will play Mirra Andreeva, and Elena Rybakina will take on Jasmine Paolini in the women’s draw.
Djokovic’s journey at the French Open has been a challenging one so far, with his past two matches lasting a combined 9 hours and 8 minutes over 10 sets.
However, his incredible record at major tournaments shows that he is always a force to be reckoned with, as long as he is able to compete.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.