Novak Djokovic Eyes Major French Open Milestone After Breezing Into Fourth Round

Sixth seed Novak Djokovic will be locking horns with Britain's Cameron Norrie, who he defeated five times before.

Novak Djokovic Eyes Major French Open Milestone After Breezing Into Fourth Round

Novak Djokovic (Image via X/We Are Tennis)

Novak Djokovic made another stride toward his record 25th Grand Slam title. On Saturday (May 31), he breezed past Bosnia’s Filip Misolic 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in the French Open third round.

It was his 99th victory in the clay-court Major. But Djokovic is not satisfied, for he wants to reach the 100th tally and beat his personal record once again by defeating Britain’s Cameron Norrie in the fourth round.

99 is a nice number, but 100 is better (smiles). I’m really in a period of my career with a lot of privileges because every time I step on the court, I’m playing for history. It’s incredible. This sport has given me everything I have in my life.

Novak Djokovic said during his on-court interview

Djokovic entered Roland Garros after clinching his 100th tour-level title at the Geneva Open by overcoming Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz. It was his first title of the season and his first since clinching his career’s first gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics by beating Carlos Alcaraz in the final.

He last won a Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open and since then, he made it to a Major final just once: at the 2024 Wimbledon, which he lost to Alcaraz. Djokovic has also clinched 99 wins at the Australian Open where he has lifted the title a record 10 times.

The seven-time Wimbledon champion has won 97 matches in the grass-court Major, while at the US Open, his tally is 90 wins. He has now progressed to the fourth round of the clay-court Major for the 16th consecutive year. Last year, he was forced to withdraw after making it to the quarterfinals.

Novak Djokovic lauds Cameron Norrie ahead of their Roland Garros fourth round clash

Against his fourth-round opponent Cameron Norrie, Novak Djokovic holds a 5-0 head-to-head lead. The match will be their second meeting this season after the Geneva Open semifinals. Before setting up the clash with the 24-time Grand Slam champion, Norrie knocked out compatriot Jacob Fearnley. The 29-year-old Briton was the reason behind Daniil Medvedev‘s first-round exit in the tournament.

Cameron Norrie
Cameron Norrie (Image via X/Wimbledon)

Djokovic has not yet dropped a set in the tournament. Norrie, on the other hand, dropped the third and fourth sets against Medvedev. Following his third-round win, the 38-year-old lauded Norrie and said he is a player who deserves to be in “the top 20, top 15, 10 in the world“.

Yeah, I saw his impressive win in the first round against Medvedev. That was, I think, he was 5-3 down in the fifth and he managed to turn that around so he’s a big fighter, he’s a grinder- Cameron is known for that on tour. He never gives up, he’s always trying to back himself, and [has] positive attitude on the court.

Novak Djokovic told reporters

Norrie has made deep runs in Grand Slam events, producing his best when he reached the semifinal of the 2022 Wimbledon. He took a set off of Djokovic, who eventually beat him and Nick Kyrgios in the final to win his seventh title at SW19.

Djokovic last lifted the French Open in 2023 by beating Casper Ruud. If he reaches the quarterfinals, he could meet last year’s French Open runner-up Alexander Zverev, who will be facing Tallon Griekspoor in the last 16. Djokovic is 8-5 in the head-to-head matchups with the German.

In the semifinal, Djokovic could set up another blockbuster match, this time, against World No.1 Jannik Sinner against whom, he holds a 4-4 head-to-head record but lost the last three encounters. In the final Djokovic is projected to face World No.2 and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, who he defeated five times in their eight meetings.

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