"This ability of Novak Djokovic to rise from ashes" - Justine Henin heaps praise on Serb following epic French Open 4R win against Francisco Cerundolo
Novak Djokovic overcame a painful knee injury to carve out an epic 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 win over Francisco Cerundolo on Monday, June 4. Thanks to the victory, he has now advanced to the quarterfinals of the ongoing French Open.
After winning the opening set, Djokovic, who appeared to be in a spot of bother, received painkillers and medical attention before losing two sets in a row. Trailing 2-4 in the fourth set, the Serb rallied to force a decider before manufacturing an incredible comeback win.
Justine Henin heaped praise on Djokovic's ability to "rise from the ashes" more than once in light of the defending champion's equally gruelling third-round encounter against Lorenzo Musetti.
"He once again found the means to come back from nowhere and this is really from nowhere. We thought that this match might have been over. We keep in the back of our minds this ability of Djokovic to rise from the ashes," Henin was quoted as saying on France Television.
Djokovic got the better of Lorenzo Musetti in a contest that lasted four-and-a-half hours before playing another four-hour, thirty-nine-minute thriller against Cerundolo in the space of 36 hours.
Henin, a four-time French Open champion, opined that the top seed seems determined to go further after quelling doubts about his motivation and fitness.
"He's done it so many times but today we saw him struggling, unable to react. His start left us with a lot of doubts so some had fears about his motivation at Roland‐Garros. He still seems determined to go further," Justine Henin said.
"Completely crazy scenario, we don't always understand everything in tennis," she added.
Novak Djokovic has, however, cast doubts on his ability to be fit in time for the quarterfinal to be played on June 5.
Novak Djokovic surpasses Roger Federer as the player with most Grand Slam match wins in history
Novak Djokovic made history following a jaw-dropping win over Francisco Cerundolo in a fourth-round encounter of the 2024 French Open.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion added another feather to his cap by surpassing Roger Federer's record of 369 Grand Slam match wins. The Swiss maestro is followed by Rafael Nadal who has 314 wins.
Novak Djokovic is slated to take on Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros, a repeat of the 2023 French Open finals, which the player from Belgrade won in straight sets.