PARIS – Novak Djokovic has performed miracles before when faced with defeat. In 20 of his 369 Grand Slam victories, he came back from 2-1 down to win in five sets. But behind two sets to one and a break against Francisco Cerundolo in the fourth on Monday, it looked like this comeback would be too much even for him.
After winning the first set 6-1, Djokovic's right knee buckled at the start of the second set. He called a timeout from the doctors and then the physiotherapist on the next two substitutions.
But whatever they did, he didn't seem to trust his knee to hold up. Those drop shots remained that we saw him run away from. A backhand corner shot sailed past him, and Djokovic was unwilling to push off his right leg to chase it.
He was not the player we have seen in the last 16 years, the one who has 24 Grand Slam titles and last came out of the French Open at this point in 2009.
But then, at the end of the fourth set, Djokovic's backhands began to land, his right knee seemingly strengthened, and then he came back to win his second five-set game in 40 hours. It took him 4 hours and 39 minutes to surpass Cerundolo.
He was bruised and covered in clay, having endured his longest match at the French Open. It was extraordinary, but the question is: can it continue like this? And will his knee hold?
We already have one foot timidly in the post-Rafa Nadal era. The 14-time French Open winner lost in straight sets in this tournament to Alexander Zverev. This promises to be the most open competition in Paris since Nadal began building his legacy in 2005. Who will win? We rank the top remaining contenders.
1. Carlos Alcaraz
Ever since Carlos Alcaraz burst onto the scene, it has felt like he is the heir apparent to Nadal's throne at the French Open. But his first two Slams would come elsewhere: at the US Open in 2022 and then in that epic triumph over Djokovic at Wimbledon last year, where he won the title in just his fourth grass-court tournament.
This year, Alcaraz reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, where he lost to Zverev, but then won at Indian Wells. However, his swing on clay has not been easy at all. He was forced to withdraw from the Monte Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open due to a forearm injury. He then lost in Madrid to Andrey Rublev and withdrew from Rome due to the same injury.
Here at Roland Garros, he wore a protective sleeve on his right arm and said: “I'm a little afraid to hit every forehand at 100%.”
The Alcaraz movement is an art form 🤌@carlosalcaraz | @Roland Garros | #Roland Garros
— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 2, 2024
He said the same thing after his easy first-round win over JJ Wolf. If he reaches his full power, it will surely be a worrying sign for the other contenders, and it might be impossible to stop him.
Alcaraz was pushed hard by Dutch qualifier Jesper de Jong in the second round and again by Sebastian Korda in the third round. But it was in his emphatic victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round that he seemed to feel comfortable again.
Next up is Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals, and Alcaraz is confident and says on court that he has the “key” to beat him, having won all five of their previous meetings.
“I know Stefanos is playing very well, but I know tactically what I have to do in the game, which I'm not going to say, obviously, but I know what I have to do.” [to win] the game,” Alcaraz said.
2. Novak Djokovic
It has not been easy for the winner of 24 Grand Slams at Roland Garros. He came to this in unusually mediocre form, by his incredibly high standards. After reaching the semi-final of the Australian Open in January, his next best result was a semi-final in Monte Carlo, which coincided with losses to Luca Nardi, Alejandro Tabilo and Tomas Machac on tour, the last of them after a spectator accidentally fell. a bottle of water on the head in Geneva.
He came into the tournament saying he had “low expectations, high hopes.” Despite a couple of exasperated glances toward his box from the crowd, he managed to get through the first two rounds against Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Roberto Carballés Baena in straight sets.
“There is always that kind of conviction and belief within me that I can win a Slam,” he said after the victory over Carballes Baena. “That's the reason I continue to compete at this level. That's why I'm here.”
70% of the Earth is covered by water, the rest by Sinner 🌍#Roland Garros pic.twitter.com/jnTVRRTuM0
– Roland Garros (@rolandgarros) May 31, 2024
But then came the brutally long match against Lorenzo Musetti in the third round. The five-set epic began at 10:27 p.m. local time and ended at 3:06 a.m., spanning two days… and left Djokovic triumphant but also exhausted.
“I really pushed myself physically to the limit to win this match,” he said afterward.
He played even more in the fourth round. On Monday, if it had been a heavyweight boxing fight, they would have decided it in the fourth set and awarded Cerundolo a technical knockout. But somehow Djokovic recovered and did what only he can do: climb back from the precipice when so many mere mortals would have admitted defeat.
If his knee is healthy enough, it feels like Djokovic is getting stronger here, and that's ominous for the rest of the field. He has 21 more Slams than the rest of the field combined, and that experience alone sets him apart.
Djokovic will undergo further examination on his knee on Tuesday but is hopeful it will not harm his bid for another Grand Slam.
3. Sinner Jannik
After winning his first Grand Slam in January, Jannik Sinner was one of the favorites to win the second of two in Paris. But like many of his contemporaries, Sinner arrived at Roland Garros with doubts about his physical condition. He withdrew from the Madrid Open quarterfinals with a hip injury and then also withdrew from the Italian Open. He told the media before the tournament that he was feeling good, and backed it up with a commanding first-round victory over Chris Eubanks.
“The hip is fine. I'm very happy. I'm glad that my team and I worked very hard to be on the court as soon as possible,” Sinner said afterwards. “Certainly the overall form is not 100% yet, so we are trying to improve every day.”
He had to deal with playing against a partisan crowd in his second round match against Richard Gasquet, but beat him in straight sets. Afterwards, the hugely experienced Gasquet praised Sinner.
70% of the Earth is covered by water, the rest by Sinner 🌍#Roland Garros pic.twitter.com/jnTVRRTuM0
– Roland Garros (@rolandgarros) May 31, 2024
“Other than Djokovic, he hits a hard backhand and a hard forehand,” Gasquet said. “He also has a good serve. So with Alcaraz they will be number 1 and 2, I think, for quite a few years, because they are both very good players. He plays really, very well. His timing is extraordinary. He is a great player.”
Sinner backed up that victory over Gasquet with a comfortable win over Pavel Kotov in Round 3. “Tennis-wise, I felt pretty good on the court today,” Sinner said after the match. “Physically I feel like I still have to improve a couple of things.”
Although he lost the first set in the fourth round against Corentin Moutet, he overcame that difficult tie well and will now face Grigor Dimitrov in the quarterfinals.
4. Casper Ruud
The clay court specialist reached the last two French Open finals. In 2022, he had the misfortune of running into a resurgent Nadal, while last year it was Djokovic who brought him down.
After that defeat against Djokovic, Ruud outlined his aspirations. “Hopefully I can take advantage of that and one day I will obviously try to aim for a Slam title,” he said. “It's been close, but close, but without a cigarette, so I'll keep working and try to get it one day.”
70% of the Earth is covered by water, the rest by Sinner 🌍#Roland Garros pic.twitter.com/jnTVRRTuM0
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 31, 2024
He has not found the simple life at Roland Garros. He easily cruised through the first round in straight sets against Felipe Meligeni Alves, then needed five sets to overcome Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Tomás Martín Etcheverry pushed him hard in the third round, with Ruud winning 6-4, 1-6, 6-2, 6-2. And Taylor Fritz was a tough test in the fourth round: the American renamed himself “Claylor” due to his newfound love for clay. Ruud had a iffy second set, but recovered in four, beating Fritz to further emphasize his title credentials.
The best of the rest
Alexander Zverev He has mixed memories at the French Open. Two years ago, he was going toe-to-toe with Nadal in the 2022 semifinals, only to slip awkwardly and tear ankle ligaments. Last time, he reached the semi-final for the third year in a row, but lost in straight sets to Ruud.
But this year he arrived at Roland Garros as one of the favorites after winning the Italian Open. He defeated Nadal in straight sets in the first round and then survived a major scare to overcome Tallon Griekspoor in a tiebreaker in the fifth set of the third round. On Monday, in the fourth round, Zverev again needed five sets to overcome Holger Rune. Rune pushed him to the limit, but Zverev's experience got him through.
While playing in Paris, Zverev remains the focus of domestic abuse allegations in Germany. His trial, for which he does not need to be present, began on May 31 in Berlin.
Alex de Minaur he was outstanding against Daniil Medvedev in their fourth round match. The Australian had never reached this stage of the tournament before, but the variety in his play against Medvedev was impressive, as was his speed to the net. Just seconds after winning the match, he was yelling to the crowd on Court Suzanne Lenglen: “I love clay. I love it here. I can't get enough.”
They will reach the quarterfinals calmly confident of reaching the semifinal.
Stefanos Tsitsipas They would have been the main contenders for the title if not for the fact that they have Alcaraz in their way. Tsitsipas is loving life at Roland Garros, playing in men's doubles with her brother Petros and in mixed doubles with her partner Paula Badosa.
But he has maintained his intensity in the singles, getting through his first three rounds losing only one set and then needing four to overcome Matteo Arnaldi, after losing the first set.
Grigor Dimitrov He's flying under the radar very well, but he was brilliant in his fourth round match against Hubert Hurkacz. He came out ahead in straight sets and even had to navigate Hurkacz's strange decision to ask him if he was interested in requesting a referee change. This is Dimitrov's best run at the French Open, as he seeks to win his first Grand Slam.
