TENNIS
Djokovic “up for partying” after 3 am finish at Roland Garros
The Serbian finally concluded a marathon four and a half match against Lorenzo Musetti in the early hours of Sunday morning after breaking a Grand Slam record.
Novak Djokovic’s Round 3 clash with Lorenzo Musetti went on much longer than either of of them would have really liked. At 3:07 on Sunday morning, they were still out on court. The long-awaited match between the world number one and the Italian, ranked 30th, was eventually resolved 4 hours and 32 minutes after it started. The Serbian took the first set 7-5, but then found himself behind after Musetti took the next two.
Longest game on record at Roland Garros
The second set finished 6-7 and went to a tie break which Musetti won 6-8. On the back of that impetus, the Italian was inspired to take the third set 2-6, which surprised everyone. But the Serbian bounced back to take the next two 6-3 and 6-0 with the clock already past midnight. It was one of the longest games in French Open and ATP Tour history but nowhere near the record, set in the first round at Roland Garros in 2004 when Fabrice Santoro took 6 hours 33 minutes to beat Arnaud Clement.
Even after his epic battle, the Serbian had enough strength to attend his fans in the stands and also make statements to the press, despite it being too late for a press conference. The number one not only managed to advance to the fourth round, in which he will face Argentinean Francisco Cerúndolo, but also equaled Roger Federer in the number of Grand Slam matches won: 369. Rafa Nadal is third in the ranking, with 314 wins.
Djokovic was in typical good humor despite it being way past his bedtime, telling reporters: “Someone had to lose tonight... or this morning”. The Serbian acknowledge Musetti’s toughness and the “very high quality” that he offered in the match, and also admitted that he had been “a little lucky at the beginning of the fourth set”. In the Serbian’s words, Musetti was “impenetrable”.
He concluded jokingly: “Who can sleep now? It’s impossible. If you have a party, I’ll go!” Djokovic will be spending Monday getting some rest so he will be ready to face Cerúndolo on Monday at a time and on a court which has yet to be determined.