Djokovic played through pain barrier, but proved costly
Djokovic [1] bt. Cerundolo [23] 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
- Mischa Zverev on Eurosport: “Me and my brother [Alexander] know, until the match point is done, he’ll find a way… maybe distract you a little bit so you play 5% worse and he is 20% better,” while Tim Henman hails Serb’s ability to deal with adversity, produce best at most important moments
- Djokovic forced to withdraw from tournament altogether with torn meniscus injury, not 24 hours later, after his 370th Grand Slam victory
- Unfortunate timing… Serb spent more than nine hours’ court time during five-set wins over Musetti, then Cerundolo with medical personnel in Paris telling The Athletic his injury was an inevitable consequence of degenerative wear-and-tear, rather than an acute and sudden problem
- Jannik Sinner vs. Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud vs. Alexander Zverev in this year’s semis – one will become a first-time French Open champion
WATCHING Novak Djokovic perform at the year’s biggest events is like being engrossed in a gripping theatre production, you don’t know what’s going to happen next or when – look away and he’s sprawled across the clay, sarcastically applauding the groundsmen and tournament supervisor for their court maintenance.
Five minutes earlier on the very same surface, he couldn’t miss a ball but suddenly is spraying errors and being jarringly wrongfooted as the scoreboard pressure is again being pressed against his chest. How will he respond? The only way he knows how.
Chest burning and legs weary entering a deciding set, doubt again returned and he produces a remarkable point like this. Matches are often decided by moments like these, at a delicate juncture where things can swing one way then the next.
It’s easy to forget this was Cerundolo’s fourth five-set match of his career and given the stakes, he did mightily well but fell short – Djokovic’s injury-enforced withdrawal will rub salt into the wounds further. Yet the 24-time Major champion’s play from was again inspired, exemplified from 40-0 down to break the Argentine in the same game.
That historical fatigue surrounding his resilience is why many were sceptical upon hearing he might retire through injury post-match, having gained his second wind in the clutch moments to see off another hungry contender after going the distance – consecutive five-set wins for the first time in 12 years, when he was 25.
Djokovic played through pain and took the maximum amount of painkillers permitted to do so, before undergoing an MRI in Paris the following day which confirmed the extent of his latest injury. He couldn’t possibly repeat last year’s feat.
News of the tournament’s defending champion withdrawing was naturally an unwanted surprise, though he suggested that could be the case in his post-match press conference after adrenaline had worn off and the injury settled overnight.
It means there will be no rematch of last season’s final between him and runner-up Casper Ruud, who has a bye and will play Alexander Zverev on Friday in the semis. In addition, Djokovic’s inability to defend the rest of his 2023 ranking points means Jannik Sinner will become the new world no. 1 player in next week’s update.
Ruud sent well-wishes on social media hoping to see him return for the grass-court season, while Sinner was happy to earn top spot but spoke graciously about the 37-year-old after his straight-sets win over Grigor Dimitrov later in the afternoon set up a tantalising semifinal duel with Stefanos Tsitsipas’ conqueror Carlos Alcaraz.
The recovery timeline and an ambition to peak for the Paris Olympics means it’s almost certain seven-time Wimbledon champ Djokovic opts against featuring at SW19, starting on July 1. He reached last year’s final, losing to Alcaraz in a decider.
July 27 is when the Olympics’ tennis tournament begins and will be of interest to Novak’s longtime rival Rafael Nadal too after the 14-time Roland Garros champion departed early following a spirited defeat by semifinalist Alexander Zverev in R1.
“It’s all about building my game for clay courts, I want to reach my peak for Paris – that’s where I want to play my best tennis. Anything else is a bonus, so let’s see what happens,” Djokovic was quoted as saying back in April. The curtain has closed for now, and he’s bracing himself as another race has begun.
Picture source: Getty Images
Mo and Sports 