The defending champion wins a four-and-a-half-hour epic to keep his hopes of winning his 25th Grand Slam title alive.
Novak Djokovic's bid to win his 25th Grand Slam briefly hung by a thread on a cold, wet night at Roland Garros, but the Serbian fought back to win 7-5, 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6- 0 over Lorenzo Musetti in the last final of the French Open.
The reigning champion displayed the iron will that has made him one of the best players in football, to avoid defeat in an exciting third round duel, which began at 10:37 p.m. local time (8:37 p.m. GMT) on Saturday.
Some four and a half hours later, at 3:06 a.m. (01:06 GMT) on Sunday morning, fans who had huddled under the mats as the 37-year-old orchestrated his magnificent fight rose to their feet to raise the roof of the main show floor.
“He played a fantastic match and was very close to victory,” Djokovic said on court about Musetti.
“I had a lot of difficulties but thanks to your support in the fourth set I became a different player. “It may have been the best game I have played here.”
Djokovic recovered from an early loss of serve and went toe-to-toe with the Italian in the grueling first set before taking the lead with a crucial break in the 12th game, thanks to some incredible defending.
The world number one lowered his head and took a breath after that long rally, but soon took control in the second set with a spectacular fall that gave him a 3-1 lead.
Musetti, however, recovered and tied it at 4-4 before saving a set point in a high-quality tiebreaker to level the match.
The 30th seed took his game up a few notches to break and take the lead in the third set, before sealing it comfortably as alarm bells began to ring for a fading Djokovic.
Djokovic, who ranted to the referee about the state of the surface, suddenly rediscovered his rhythm to conclude the quarter before pulling away from his exhausted opponent in the decider.
“Who's going to sleep now?” Djokovic added. “It's impossible to sleep, so much adrenaline. “If you’re having a party, I’ll go.”
The title defense is still alive 🙌#Roland Garros @DjokerNole pic.twitter.com/iis8IUKCMI
– Roland Garros (@rolandgarros) June 2, 2024
Fourth seed Alexander Zverev also survived a scare in a night marathon to advance to the fourth round with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (10-3) victory over the Dutch Tallon Griekspoor.
In the women's draw, second seed Aryna Sabalenka beat her best friend Paula Badosa 7-5, 6-1 in a test clash, while Russian-born Frenchwoman Varvara Gracheva won many new fans after keeping the flag flying from their adopted country.
After Corentin Moutet gave French fans a Friday night to savor with victory over Sebastian Ofner, new crowd favorite Gracheva brightened another soggy day with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Irina- Camellia Begu.
The last Frenchwoman left in the women's draw heard a rousing rendition of the national anthem, La Marseillaise, and joined the fans in celebrating.
“I will remember this moment until the end of my life,” said a beaming Gracheva, who received her French passport in 2023 after living in the country for more than five years.
“It means that everyone accepts me, that I am home here.”
While Gracheva was the center of attention in the afternoon, fellow Moscow-born Elena Rybakina continued to fly under the radar as the fourth seed beat Elise Mertens 6-4, 6-2.
21st-seeded Canadian Felix Auger Aliassime wrapped up a 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 victory over American Ben Shelton under Suzanne Lenglen's roof as rain delayed action on the outdoor courts .
When play resumed, Alex De Minaur completed a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Jan-Lennard Struff to become the first Australian to reach the fourth round in Paris since Lleyton Hewitt in 2007, and launched a search for a superfan that encouraged him.
