A special victory, but one that leaves many doubts about the future. After the one a few days ago over Lorenzo Musetti, at Roland Garros comes another comeback victory for a Novak Djokovic at half-serve. Against the Argentine Francisco Cerúndolo, the Serbian also resisted a knee injury, managing to win in five sets after 4 and a half hours of battle.
His presence in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros 2024 against Casper Ruud is at great risk at this point and the number one himself spoke about his physical condition. Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic explained the nature of his knee problem.
“I asked for physiotherapy because I felt pain. This affected my game. For two sets I didn’t want to participate in many rallies. If he did drop shots or changes of direction, I didn’t feel comfortable in the rallies.
At a certain point I asked myself whether to continue playing or not, given what was happening. After the third set I asked for more medicine. I took the maximum dose I could take and I started to feel the effects in the fourth set.
I felt less restricted in my movements. In the fifth set I played without pain, but the effect of the medicines doesn’t last forever, so we’ll see.
Henin reflects on Nole Djokovic
Tomorrow I will have some tests,” said Djokovic.
The Serb continued: “I have played other tournaments with muscle tears in the past. The adrenaline we feel also helps us. The good thing about a Slam is that you have a day of rest between matches, and that can help recovery.
I don’t know what will happen tomorrow. I don’t know if I will be able to play on Wednesday. I hope so”. The 24-time Grand Slam champion then argued about the conditions of the court. “Because of the weather, the conditions this year are a bit particular.
There was a lot of rain, very heavy, and this affects the ground. This is a living surface, like grass. Clay can be treated, not like grass. Roland Garros is the tournament that treats clay best, without a doubt. I think the sun today affected clay, in some way.
I don’t know what they did, but it seems like they took something out of clay that is not on the court. My injury happened because, because of this, the ground becomes very slippery”. WTA legend Justine Henin talked about Nole Djokovic: “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.