"A shame for Lorenzo Musetti to lose, it was very close" - Novak Djokovic acknowledges stroke of 'luck' in comeback win over Italian in French Open 3R
Novak Djokovic has graciously acknowledged Lorenzo Musetti's incredible performance in their riveting third-round clash at the 2024 French Open. The duo delivered a dramatic late-night thriller in the early hours of Sunday (June 2), culminating in Djokovic dealing a crushing blow to the Italian to keep his hopes of a title defense alive.
After losing the opening set, Musetti rebounded strongly to clinch the second and third sets in commanding fashion, taking the lead. Victory appeared within touching distance for the Italian when Djokovic displayed his impressive resilience to bring himself back into the contest.
The Serb battled back to claim a hard-fought 7-5, 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 victory, holding off Jannik Sinner from dethroning him as the World No. 1 for another match. The tense four-hour and 29-minute battle ended at 3:08 a.m. local time, setting a new record for the latest finish in French Open history.
During his on-court interview, the 24-time Grand Slam champion conveyed his immense respect for Lorenzo Musetti, conceding that it is a "shame" for the Italian to walk away with a loss after such a close contest.
Djokovic also acknowledged his stroke of "luck" early in the fourth set, admitting that the Italian had the upper hand at the juncture.
"I'm going to try and speak French because you really deserve that. What can I say? First of all, congratulations and huge respect to Lorenzo Musetti, a shame that he lost. One of us had to lose today ot tonight or this morning, whatever," he said.
"But I said to him that it was a great battle. It was a shame for him to lose because he really wanted to win this match and it was very close. I had a bit of luck right at the beginning of the fourth set because he was the better player on the court at that time," he added.
Novak Djokovic on 'tricky position' in French Open 3R win: "I didn't seem to be able to win against Lorenzo Musetti"
Novak Djokovic also admitted to being in a "tricky position" during the match as he struggled to find solutions for Lorenzo Musetti's "high quality" game.
"And there was a point in time where I couldn't find any solutions and I had to try and solve the conundrum of his game. Basically I didn't seem to be able to win against him. Everything that he was doing, he was succeeding in very high quality. Less errors, so I was really in a tricky position," he said.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion credited the crowd for helping his turnaround, expressing his heartfelt gratitude for their role in allowing him to "become a new player."
"But, I have to say that I said you deserve for me to speak in French to you and I wanted to thank you because, in the fourth set at 2-2, you gave me the energy and I became a new player so thank you for your support at that moment in time," he added.
Following his win over Musetti, Djokovic will take on Francisco Cerundolo in the fourth round of the French Open. Cerundolo defeated Tommy Paul 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 to book his place against the World No. 1.