Novak Djokovic shatters two huge Roger Federer records after surviving French Open injury scare in epic

Novak Djokovic battled through an injury scare to defeat Francisco Cerundolo in his second consecutive epic five-set victory at the 2024 French Open.

Djokovic prevailed 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 against Cerundolo in four hours and 39 minutes in the fourth round at Roland Garros on Monday.

The world No 1 received treatment for a right knee injury after slipping on the clay in the second set and struggled for much of the second, third and fourth sets.

The great Serbian came from 2-4 down to turn the fourth set around en route to completing a second comeback from two sets to one down in as many matches.

Cerundolo, who is ranked 27th, produced an impressive display to come close to earning the biggest win of his career, but fell agonisingly short. The 25-year-old Argentine was looking to reach the last eight of a Grand Slam for the first time.

Djokovic, who overcame Lorenzo Musetti in the latest finish in French Open history in the third round, now holds an incredible 40-11 record in five-set matches.

This is the first time Djokovic has won five-setters in consecutive matches since the 2012 Australian Open, where he outlasted Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal in back-to-back marathons in the last four and the final.

With his triumph, Djokovic has broken two more records previously held by his great rival Roger Federer .

The 37-year-old now stands alone as the man with the most Open Era Grand Slam quarter-finals reached with 59 and the most match wins at Majors with 370, having been tied with the Swiss in both categories.

Djokovic has now reached an astonishing 18 quarter-finals at Roland Garros and has progressed to the last eight or further in 15 straight appearances starting in 2010.

The Serbian, who is the defending French Open champion, is looking to win his fourth title at the Paris Major and his 25th Grand Slam crown in total.

The tennis icon will face either Casper Ruud or Taylor Fritz in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.

In his on-court interview after beating Cerundolo, Djokovic said: “I have to say thank you to the fans, like in the previous match.

“Against Musetti it was 2-2 in the fourth set and my energy level changed completely. You gave me a lot of energy.  Today the same thing happened.

“You gave me a lot of support. Not much more I can say. Perhaps I was 3 or 4 points from losing this match today.

“I have to congratulate Francisco because he played with excellent quality. He deserves to be applauded. The only explanation I have is thanks to you. So thank you again for all your support.”

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