Novak Djokovic sets unwanted record at French Open
Sep 12, 2021; Flushing, NY, USA; Novak Djokovic of Serbia is introduced before playing Daniil Medvedev of Russia in the men’s singles final on day fourteen of the 2021 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Novak Djokovic has made another entry into the history books for the French Open, but not for a reason he would have liked.
The French Open has fallen behind schedule due to rain, so they’re trying to make up for it by jamming in extra matches wherever possible. A match that was scheduled to take place on an outside court on Saturday got moved indoors to ensure it would be completed, which pushed back the start time for Djokovic’s third-round match against Lorenzo Musetti to after 10:30 p.m. in Paris.
Djokovic and Musetti played over four and a half hours, and their match did not end until 3:08 a.m. local time. The two set a French Open record for being on the court for the latest time in a night/early morning by over an hour and a half.
Novak Djokovic & Lorenzo Musetti match breaks the record for the latest match ever played at Roland Garros.
The previous record was 1:26 a.m. (Rafa Nadal & Jannik Sinner)
Currently 1:31 a.m. and this match is nowhere close to being over.
This scheduling is a horror show. pic.twitter.com/b7toCuMR4y
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) June 1, 2024
Djokovic prevailed in five sets 7-5, 6-7 (6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0, but he had to rally from down two sets to one in order to get the victory.
After playing so late into the night and having to go five sets, Djokovic likely will not be in the best position for his fourth-round match against Francisco Cerundolo. He probably won’t be happy about that, but all the players are making adjustments this week due to the unfavorable conditions.