In the final stretch of his strangest clay-court season, which included a period when he could barely win a match,Novak Djokoviccontinues to rebuild his confidence at precisely the right time. He brushed aside a resurgent Cameron Norrie with a controlled, efficient performance, winning 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 to return to the French Open quarter-finals.
As is usually the case when he enters a grand slam tournament these days, Djokovic’s performance here has shattered more records. In what will be his 19th quarter-final at Roland Garros, that is the most a male player has reached at a major, beating Roger Federer, who reached 18 at Wimbledon. He has now earned 100 singles wins at theFrench Open, the second man to do so after Rafael Nadal’s 112. At 38, the world No 6 is the oldest French Open quarter-finalist in 55 years.
Norrie’ led Djokovic by a set in the semi-finals of Wimbledon before the Serb rapidly turned the match around to win in four sets. Shortly before the French Open, Djokovic beat Norrie 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-1 in the semi-finals of the Geneva Open en route to his 100th career title. That was the only set the Briton had won against the 24-time grand slam champion.
If there is any time for opponents to step on the court fully believing they can beat him, this is it. Djokovic continues to fight against the unavoidable struggles that come with age. After his dire start to the clay-court season, his decision to compete in Geneva proved to be a smart move. Djokovic had been untroubled here, rolling into the second week without dropping a set, but it had also been difficult to assess his level. His highest ranked opponent had been the world No 73, Corentin Moutet.
Before the match, Norrie said he would have to be out on court for more than four hours if he had any chance of winning. He unsurprisingly tried to test Djokovic with his own durability and shot tolerance, dragging the Serb into countless long, attritional exchanges. Over the past 18 months, Djokovic’s waning patience and fitness, two pillars of his game, are areas opponents have been able to exploit. But here he was disciplined. He peppered Norrie with drop shots, punishing his deep court positioning, and calmly moved Norrie around the court with his forehand. He eased through the set.
It was Norrie who took an early advantage in set two, striking his forehand with far more authority as he broke Djokovic for a 2-0 lead. But the three-time winner here quickly reeled him back in, serving precisely in the most important moments and holding his nerve in a series of lengthy service games. Many games in the second set were tough and Djokovic struggled to serve into the sun, but he gradually worked his way to a two-set lead, winning six of the last seven games of the set. Down 3-4 in set two, Norrie received a medical time out for a left-foot injury.
Djokovic opened his shoulders in the third and rolled to victory against an opponent whose game lacks sufficient firepower to make Djokovic uncomfortable when he is dialled in.
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Norrie leaves Roland Garros having achieved the breakthrough he has been seeking for so long. The past 18 months have been extremely difficult as he fell from the top 20 to outside the top 90. He followed up his stellar five-set upset win against Daniil Medvedev with two quality victories to reachthe fourth roundhere for the first time. He will head to the grass-court season with greater confidence in his ability to re-establish himself at the top level.