5 instances when Novak Djokovic overcame consecutive 4+ hour Grand Slam marathons ft. French Open 2024 4R against Francisco Cerundolo
Novak Djokovic of Serbia is quite possibly the greatest tennis player of all time among men. His 24 Grand Slam titles and 420 plus weeks as the World No. 1 have no equals in men's tennis.
Aside from being supremely fit physically, the Serb is also known to be one of the strongest players mentally out there. He has won many lengthy, epic battles throughout his career, at the biggest of stages.
There have been five occasions when the Serb won consecutive 4+ hour matches at Grand Slams. Let's have a look:
#5. Wimbledon 2007:
Djokovic was a precocious teenager back then. However, he was already making his presence felt and entered the tournament as the fourth seed. He triumphed over former champion Lleyton Hewitt 7-6(10-8), 7-6(2), 4-6, 7-6(5) in a fourth-round match that lasted for more than four hours. Hewitt fought well but the Serb won three very close sets through tie-breaks.
Djokovic then beat Marcos Baghdatis in the quarterfinal 7-6(4), 7-6(9), 6-7(3), 4-6, 7-5 to book a place in the last four. Djokovic won 12 of the last 13 points played in the match to finish it off. As a result of playing two subsequent four-hour epics, the Serb had to retire early in his semifinal against Rafael Nadal.
#4. Australian Open 2012:
Djokovic was a more evolved player by the 2012 Australian Open and had just finished an extraordinary season in 2011. The Serb beat Andy Murray in the semifinal 6-3, 3-6, 6-7(4), 6-1, 7-5 in four hours and 50 minutes.
The Serb then faced his arch-rival Rafael Nadal in the final and won the clash 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5 after a topsy-turvy battle that lasted five hours and 53 minutes.
It was the longest final at Australian Open in the Open Era that left both players exhausted. Both of them found it difficult to keep standing while the post-match presentations were on.
#3. French Open 2012:
The Serb was on a high going into Roland Garros in 2012 but was stretched by a less-fancied opponent in the shape of Andreas Seppi of Italy. Seppi won the first two sets in their fourth-round match to threaten to cause an upset. However, Djokovic bounced back to win 4-6, 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 in a match that went on for well over four hours.
He then beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1, 5-7, 5-7, 7-6(8-6), 6-1 in another four-hour marathon in the quarterfinal. Djokovic then went on to beat Roger Federer in the semifinal but ultimately lost to Nadal in the final.
#2. French Open 2021:
Never was the Serb's mental fortitude as evident in recent times as it was at the French Open in 2021. Djokovic had been thrashed by Nadal in straight sets, including a bagel, in the previous year's final at Roland Garros.
He once again crossed paths with his old adversary in the semifinal in 2021 and won an epic battle 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-2. The match lasted four hours and 11 minutes, with the third set alone accounting for 98 minutes.
The Serb then beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-7(6-8), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in the final that once again crossed the four-hour mark. The Serb lost the first two sets against a much younger opponent, who was aiming for maiden Grand Slam glory but still managed to find a way out of jail.
#1. French Open 2024:
At the ongoing French Open, a 37-year-old Djokovic still keeps proving his doubters wrong. He has prevailed in two marathon matches in succession. First, he beat Lorenzo Musetti 7-5, 6-7(6-8), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 in the third round in a match that lasted four hours and 29 minutes.
He then prevailed over Francisco Cerundolo 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in the fourth round in a pulsating encounter that lasted four hours and 39 minutes. On both the above occasions, the Serb defied his age by bouncing back from a 1-2 deficit to win the final two sets, thereby showing exceptional resolve.